Mills Memorial designated COVID-19 Acute Primary Care location; Northern Health Update stresses social distancing, other measures as solution towards COVID-19

The City of Prince Rupert's Social media stream today has relayed some important notes from Northern Health, with the local Health Authority outlining a number of their preparations for their response to COVID-19 as well as how all in the Northwest can contribute to the regional solution.

In these challenging times, we want to take a moment to assure you we have been working diligently and tirelessly in coordination with the province and the country on a collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not alone in this crisis. 

We are a part of a system that is working very hard to minimize the impact of the challenges we face. This begins with a role everyone has – social distancing, avoiding mass gatherings, self-isolation where appropriate and hand hygiene – please help be part of the solution!

Towards the precautions Northern Health officials noted how they have been following the Provincial Health Officers direction, by implementing a range of actions including creating capacity in hospitals, managing elective procedures and prioritizing urgent care.

We are working on Phase Three planning, which fully focuses on critical care, acute care, patient transportation, and health human resource planning. We are nearing completion of those plans over the next week.

NH is part of a provincial and national system that includes effective patient transportation systems when needed. This work also includes a focused approach in putting in place, with their clinical and support staff, a four- to six-week staffing schedule that redeploys staff as necessary to provide for the critical care needs required. 

In addition, as part of the preparation, we are managing our critical care inventory, including ventilators. Additional ventilators have been ordered, some have arrived provincially, and they will be deployed appropriately and where the need is. This is in addition to stock that has been/is undergoing refurbishment.

Health officials also urge residents of the Northwest to remain calm and react only to factual information and to follow the public Orders of Dr. Bonnie Henry.

You can review those orders here.

Northern Health has also released a guidebook for the region that has a wide range of material on the themes of COVID-19, you can access it and all the other notes from the full post from Northern Health is available here.

This afternoon, Health Minister Adrian Dix also released the list of Northern Health Hospitals to be designated as COVID-19 Primary Acute Care Hospitals, with Mill Memorial Hospital in Terrace designated as the Northwest Region location.

For more notes on the provincial response to COVID-19 see our archive page here.