The COVID-19 case for a new hospitals system
windsor-essex is in desperate need of real Pandemic Preparedness
St. Clair College Field Hospital
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for a new Hospital in Windsor has never been so apparent.
We’ve all seen the pictures of Windsor’s makeshift field hospitals. While other regions throughout Ontario have proven an ability to handle increased hospital capacity – the same can’t be said about Windsor.
The unfortunate reality is that Windsor is experiencing this health crisis like no other jurisdiction.
Erika Vitale, Director of Infection Prevention and Control (WRH) explains how infection control is a constant challenge due to current hospital facilities.
Outdated Infection Control Measures
Windsor-Essex’s hospitals were built at a time when the population had fewer than 20,000 residents. Today, with over 350,000 residents across Windsor-Essex, the current hospital network is vastly undersized to accommodate patient demand during regular times, let alone during a pandemic.
The outdated state of our hospitals have been detrimental to effective pandemic control. In new Ontario hospitals, 80% of rooms are mandated to be single-patient use to limit the spread of infection. Yet, only 29% of rooms at the Met Campus and 16% at the Ouellette Campus are allocated for single-patient use. With limited isolation, infection control has become a major issue, making Windsor Regional’s COVID-19 response needlessly difficult.
Karen Riddell, VP for Critical Care (WRH) illustrates how our hospital facilities were never built to withstand a crisis like COVID-19.
Makeshift Solutions to Solve for Overcrowding
COVID-19 has forced Windsor Regional Hospital to introduce drastic measures to provide adequate pandemic care.
This has resulted in hospital beds removed to provide isolation for contagious patients, public areas converted into patient units to keep up with increased demand, and makeshift walls constructed with tarp to provide negative-pressure facilities.
But even with these measures taken, Windsor Regional Hospital still has been unable to accommodate a potential influx of COVID-19 patients. This led to the hospital’s decision to construct an emergency field hospital at St. Clair College’s gymnasium.
Windsor Regional Hospital’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre
Inadequate Testing CAPABILITIES
Windsor-Essex’s proximity to the United States makes it an important centre for trade and commerce – but due to COVID-19, the region is also now Canada’s first line of pandemic defense on the border.
Aging infrastructure means the region doesn’t have adequate lab facilities to test the thousands of individuals crossing the border each day, or local residents. COVID-19 tests are currently shipped off to London.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The new hospitals system will be built to handle a pandemic.
At least eighty per cent of rooms will be private and single occupancy, limiting the spread of infection and increasing patient privacy.
The new facility will also support dedicated negative pressure isolation rooms with segregated air flow. Modern laboratory facilities will support rapid patient testing, and the larger facility can support additional surge capacity beds.