Press Release
PRH
PEMBROKE – In order to protect the community’s most vulnerable residents, hospitals will be maintaining COVID-19 safety measures and restrictions for some time, despite seeing them lifted in most public spaces across the province.
“As a ‘highest risk setting’, many of our protective measures including those related to screening, masking, providing vaccination status and others related to our visitor and caregiver / care partner policies will not change and will instead be adopted as part of our own health and safety policies and procedures,” said PRH President and CEO Pierre Noel. He added that this will also include vaccination requirements for staff.
As part of the hospital’s commitment to protecting patients, staff and visitors and ensuring the safest environment possible, Mr. Noel said that a lot of work is being done at the regional level to review how this week’s provincial announcements will impact hospital visitor policies in the coming weeks and months. While some changes may be warranted given further assessment of risk, he said that the timing of changes will not be aligned with those in the community.
He said many health care organizations in the region are meeting regularly in order to develop a reopening road map with planned steps required to keep everyone safe and the Ontario Hospital Association is also working with hospitals to support them through this process.
“Hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units across the province may have declined in the last few weeks but the pandemic is not over yet and we continue to have 40-50 of our staff and physicians unable to work each day due to COVID-related absenteeism,” Mr. Noel said.
In the coming weeks and month Mr. Noel asked that those coming to the hospital respect the differences between community-based settings and hospitals and to please be kind to the screeners at PRH entrances who are helping to keep everyone safe.
As information continues to change, members of the public are encouraged to refer to the hospital’s website (www.pembrokeregionalhospital.ca) or speak with a member of the health care team for the latest information about restrictions, safety measures and policies for visitors.
