PRHC takes in critically ill patients from the GTA
Two people without coronavirus were in need of intensive care
Peterborough Regional Health Centre has already started receiving its first few critically ill patients from the GTA as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, city councillors learned on Monday.
PRHC president and CEO Dr. Peter McLaughlin told a virtual general committee meeting on Monday night that PRHC received two patients in the last week from Scarborough. But he said he didn’t believe they were COVID patients — they were in critical condition and needed a bed in the intensive care unit.
McLaughlin also said although regional hospitals in mid-sized cities across Ontario are readying themselves to receive patients transfers in the pandemic, that will happen at PRHC only when there are empty beds available and other Ontario hospitals are “in dire straits” and need to send a patient elsewhere for care.
Otherwise the hospital will continue to fulfil the needs of the city and the region, he said. PRHC serves some patients from Northumberland County including Campbellford, the City of Kawartha Lakes including Lindsay and Haliburton County in addition to Peterborough city and county, he said earlier in the meeting.
McLaughlin and PRHC board chair Louis O’Brien were giving their annual presentation to councillors on Monday, and councillors had several questions about the pandemic.
When asked about PRHC’s plans to accommodate more patients in a surge, McLaughlin said more ventilators have been ordered, some dining rooms closed to convert them into clinical space and strategies for staffing have been worked out.
“We’ve considered every eventuality — but I would not underestimate this pandemic,” McLaughlin said.
More updates from the hospital are expected on Tuesday morning when Dr. Lynn Mikula, vice-president, chief medical officer and chief of staff at PRHC, speaks to the media in a virtual press briefing.
Also on Monday:
Inverlea Park taken off list
Councillors gave preliminary approval in a unanimous vote to remove Inverlea Park from contention for locations to build a new firehall for the north end.
It has come to light that the park is protected green space under a historic trust. It was considered because it would have offered both good response time to the north end of the city as well as boat access to the Otonabee River.
It leaves a green space at Sunset Boulevard and Chemong Road (Sunset Park) and the now-closed Northcrest Arena on Marina at Water Street as the two possible locations.
A public consultation is being launched via peterborough.ca/ en/city-hall/fire-station-2-relocation-project.aspx.