St, Joe’s ramps up screening.

As of this posting Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s healthcare is dealing with seven COVID patients. For the rest of the hospital’s patients the hospital has instituted enhanced COVID screening. The new process includes actively screening each patient each shift and determining the need for testing/swabbing. Some part time employees at St Joe’s also work in long term care facilities. Under a government order this week these employees will need to select which employer you would like to provide service to for the remaining period of the pandemic. St Joe’s will grant employees who elect to work for the long-term care employer, an unpaid leave of absence from St. Joe’s during this time so that they may return to SJHH following the pandemic.

As a precautionary measure St, Joe’s is calling on non-clinical staff members who are interested in helping provide support to clinical colleagues on the front line. St Joe’s is developing a roster of employees that could be called upon if we were to reach a situation where clinical staff numbers are significantly reduced to a point where we need to redirect their work.  Such work could include:

•             Nutritional Needs

•             Assist with setting up trays

•             Assist with feeding (under direction of nurse)

•             Mobilizing

•             Walking patients in hallway in wheelchair

•             Taking discharged patients down to front lobby to be picked up

•             Unit Needs

•             Bedmaking

•             Stocking carts/nurse servers

•             Providing Patients with Basic Comfort Needs

•             Warm blankets

•             Water

•             Answer phones from family members

•             Answer call bells