Western Health to Resume Some Services
Western Health is gradually resuming some health care services throughout the region. Medical imaging, endoscopy, cardiac diagnostic, and surgical services have been identified as areas within the health care system that can gradually and safely begin to resume service at this time.
“I want to assure the public that they can be confident in coming to our facilities that we have processes in place to protect them as we begin gradually resuming services,” said Cindy Davis, President and CEO. “Initially services will resume slowly so that the impact on the system can be managed as we continue to monitor COVID-19 activity. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we continue to adjust the way we provide services during the pandemic.”
As services gradually resume, Western Health will continue to ensure that sufficient resources, such as staffing, personal protective equipment, acute care and intensive care beds, are closely monitored. Adequate supplies of these resources are required to manage and maintain surge capacity.
“We have been working with the Department of Health and Community Services, other regional health authorities and physicians on the plan to safely increase services for people in our region,” said Dr. Dennis Rashleigh, Vice President Clinical- Medical Services, Rural and Primary Health Care. “I would like to thank physicians who have been working with Western Health to prioritize patients based on clinical needs. We recognize that individuals who have been waiting for appointments and procedures to resume may have concerns and we encourage them to contact their health care provider if their condition changes.”
Patients will be contacted directly by physicians’ offices to have their appointments rescheduled. Patients with questions or concerns about their health are advised to contact their health care provider. To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and conserve personal protective equipment (PPE), many health care providers are offering virtual care options such as telephone or video conference appointments.
Measures are in place to protect individuals when entering our facilities. Upon entry, the public will be screened for COVID-19 through a series of questions and be provided a mask. We remind the public to practice physical distancing while in our facilities.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health and Community Services website at: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/. For updates pertaining to Western Health’s ongoing services, please visit Western Health’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.