COVID-19 Pandemic Guidance

The content on this page was developed from 2020-2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not been updated.

The COVID-19 virus that caused that pandemic is now a regular human coronavirus virus and continues to circulate worldwide.

The content on this website is archived for historic and reference purposes only.


Refer to the PPGM - Policies, Procedures, Guidelines, and Medical Directives for the most up-to-date information.
This site is developed following the framework established in the Corporate Windsor Regional Hospital Pandemic Planning Manual. The content in this plan is specific to COVID-19. This is a live document that will be updated based on the most current evidence and guidance available.

 

1. PANDEMIC COMMITTEE established and providing oversight led by David Musyj, President and CEO, WRH.

 

2. Established that the WRH ETHICAL FRAMEWORK will be utilized to guide decision-making during the COVID 19 Pandemic.

 

3a. ASSESSMENT OF CAPACITY

Active Bed Capacity, Ventilator Inventory & AIIR Capacity

WINDSOR REGIONAL HOSPITAL ACTIVE BED CAPACITY AS OF MARCH 1, 2020

Beds Beds
MET CAMPUS Women and Children Family Birthing 2TW, 2N, 2E 41 77
Neonatal ICU NICU 20
Paediatrics 3E 16
Critical Care Intensive Care ICU 17 17
Medicine Oncology 4W 30 122
Family Medicine 5N, 6N 62
Internal Medicine/ Telemetry 4N 30
Surgery Surgery 7N, 8N 42 42
MARYVALE Paediatric Psychiatry Maryvale PE2 6 6
SUBTOTAL:   264 264
 
OUELLETTE
CAMPUS		 Critical Care and
Cardiology		 Intensive Care ICU 20 55
Cardiac Care CCU 12
Cardiology/ Telemetry 4M 23
Medicine Family Medicine 7W, 7E 55 105
Internal Medicine CTU 30
Stroke/ Internal Medicine 8W 20
Surgery General Surgery 6E, 6W 55 82
Neurosurgery 8E 27
Psychiatry Psychiatric Intensive Care 31 8 68
General Psychiatry 3M, 3S 60
SUBTOTAL:   310 310
 
WINDSOR REGIONAL HOSPITAL BED TOTAL:   574 574

VENTILATOR INVENTORY:

AIIR CAPACITY:

Portfolio Capacity Planning

*Note that detailed operational plans for all programs are not included in this document.

Assessment Center

Screening

All inpatients are actively screened for ARI with travel.

Testing

 

3b. PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT AREAS

For pandemic and non-pandemic patients. Locations and required resources identified. See attached To be implemented if Pandemic declared or community health care demand exceeds normal operations at the direction of the President and CEO.

MET CAMPUS: COVID-19 Assessment Centre & Controlled Entrances

Endoscopy (ground floor)

  • Closed, to be open for COVID-19 positive through separate ground floor entrance.
  • Move all urgent/emergent endoscopy cases and staff to 1 OR suite (Biomed to move equipment) and recovery in PACU.
  • ERCP to continue in DI for urgent cases.
  • 10 stretchers, 3 procedure rooms
Met Campus Screening
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

OUELLETTE CAMPUS:  COVID-19 Assessment Centre & Controlled Entrances

Ambulatory (1st Floor)

  • Fracture clinic consolidated at MC. Closed
  • To be open for the COVID-19 positive Screened pts - separate entrance
  • No Pyxis in the area
  • 12 room/bays with oxygen regulators
Ouellette Campus Screening
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

 

3c. PLAN FOR PANDEMIC AND NON-PANDEMIC UNITS

*Note that as pandemic evolves it may not be possible to continue separate units. Initial plan:

 

3d. PATIENT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT

 

Code Blue: COVID-19

Patient Assessment

Patients will be rapidly assessed following a standard format and would be triaged at one of three outcomes:

  1. The patient does not need Emergency assessment at this point in time regardless of the diagnosis. Information sheets are given to the patient/guardian with explicit directions about when to return to Emergency and/or care instructions at home.
  2. The patient has signs and symptoms compatible with the pandemic organism and requires further assessment. The patient remains in the assessment area for triage and treatment.
  3. The patient has signs and symptoms that are not compatible with the pandemic organism and requires Emergency assessment. The patient is directed to the main Emergency for triage and treatment.

If the patient requires admission to the hospital then the disposition of the patient will be made according to the capacity planning document established, i.e. pandemic vs non-pandemic unit.

Given the difficulties in running an effective resuscitation room outside of the present Emergency, both pandemic and non-pandemic patients requiring resuscitation will be taken into one of the resuscitation bays, Bay #3 will be for non-pandemic patients.

EMS to prenotify ED when bringing a possible pandemic patient to allow for appropriate disposition of the patient to either assessment centre or emergency department isolation area.

Disposition of Patient

Following primary and in some cases secondary assessment, a physician must assess the patient for purposes of assigning diagnosis and disposition.

Discharge

If the patient is deemed well enough to be discharged, all patients should be provided with self-care information regardless of whether the discharge diagnosis is pandemic-related or not.

 

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL (COVID-19 PROTOCOL)

COVID-19 Policy

Enhanced Droplet and Contact Precautions

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Videos

PPE Donning for Droplet/Contact Precautions

 

PPE Doffing for Droplet/Contact Precautions

 

PPE Donning and Doffing for Droplet/Contact Precautions with an N95

Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures

 

4. COORDINATION

Lead by the Pandemic Committee and President and CEO designated members to liaise with local agencies, public health, municipal agencies, and provincial agencies to ensure a coordinated response. Participation in local, regional, and provincial committees ongoing.

 

5. COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION PLAN

On activation, alerts will be made by the communications strategies identified in the pre-pandemic planning to the staff, patients, and the community.

  • Information will be maintained online, sent by email and other modalities as required to keep staff and community aware of current events
  • Written and verbal communications will be provided to staff.

Documents

 

6. CURRENT SUPPLY AND RATIONALIZATION PLAN

 

7. PLAN FOR THE HANDLING OF DECEASED PATIENTS

With regular capacity being a challenge, collaboration with the City of Windsor and Parks and Recreation to identify a community facility capable of providing appropriate temporary morgue capacity has been identified.

 

8. Incident Management System

Upon activation of the Incident Management system, command centres will be established in the current Command Centres.

  • Ouellette Campus - Room 1.479 (Administration hallway 1st floor)
  • Met Campus - Room ME-1634 (top of the escalator west side).
All IMS members are to discuss with the President and CEO any preplanned absences from work during the pandemic period. It may be recommended to cancel or defer any planned travel, vacation or attendance at off-site/out of province functions. Assessment processes on return from out of country vacations have been developed.

 

9. DEVELOP A RECOVERY STRATEGY FOR INTERWAVE & POST-PANDEMIC PERIODS

The Pandemic Committee will initiate recovery activities including the reintroduction of hospital services and provide an opportunity to recognize, support, and acknowledge staff for their contribution under the direction of the President and CEO when appropriate.

 

10. HUMAN RESOURCES

Completed inventory of all staff with experience, current location, and contact information.  Completed inventory of retired nurses. In the process of contacting to determine if they would be willing to work in a pandemic situation.

Employee Screening Tools

 

11. PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK VACCINES

Documents as of February 14, 2021

 

12. WINDSOR-ESSEX VACCINATION CENTRE PLAYBOOK

Documents

 

13. WAVE 3 CLINICAL GUIDELINES/DIRECTIVES

Documents

 

14. GUIDANCE ON HOSPITAL TRANSFERS

Documents

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Memos/Documents/Reports

Guidance on PPE & Ethical Frameworks

RAEB's COVID-19 Evidence Update