Message to Our Community: We’re All in This Together

KAWARTHA LAKES: Our team is working to provide exceptional care together, and is grateful for all the support the community has shown over the past few weeks. Thank you for acts of kindness, it means so much to us. In our close-knit community, the COVID-19 virus continues to impact us all. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the many families and friends who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Supporting each other through this challenging time The safety of our patients, our team, and our community remain our top priority. • We have established a dedicated unit to provide care to patients with suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19, and have plans in place to scale up our capacity based on demand. • Our COVID-19 Assessment Centre continues to provide assessments over the phone, and referral for further assessment and testing if needed. Our assessment team has provided 1179 assessments and 219 tests since first opening on March 15. • Our hospital has been working collaboratively with community partners on a coordinated local response. Kawartha Lakes Paramedics are supporting in-home assessments for those who have mobility challenges or are unable to secure transportation to our assessment centre.

Supporting connection between patients and families We continue to ask visitors to stay home, with few exceptions. Please contact the unit directly to arrange visiting for compassionate reasons, by calling 705-324-6111 and asking to be connected to the unit where your loved one is staying. We are trying technologies to support virtual visiting and are looking at other ways families can connect with their loved ones. You can send best wishes through our website. We’ll print your message and deliver your message to your loved one, Monday through Friday.

Carefully managing our supplies and equipment The Chief Medical Officer of Health has set out guidelines for proper Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.) usage for the care of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. There is a global shortage of P.P.E. and medical equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19. The government has secured a supply of stock and will distribute it in the coming days. We have also received several donations of P.P.E. from individuals and businesses. Thank you to all who have donated.

How you can help “We’re all in this together,” says Veronica Nelson, Interim President & CEO. “We are working hard to support you, and you must protect yourself, your family and our community’s most vulnerable by staying home. Do not leave your home unless it’s essential and always practice good hand hygiene.” We continue to accept donations of unopened/unused surgical masks, N95 respirator masks, gloves, and waterproof gowns to support our front-line workers. Please contact Christine Wood at cwood@rmh.org or 705-324-6111 extension 4628, to arrange your donation. Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation has established a special fund, called Heroes at Heart, to support urgent equipment and technology needs as the Ross responds to the pandemic. To support the COVID-19 response at RMH, please give to our Heroes at Heart fund by phone at 705-328-6146, by email at foundation@rmh.org or online at www.rmh.org/foundation. If you are planning a fundraiser or business promotion to support Ross Memorial, please contact the RMH Foundation to submit your idea. We then work with you to ensure your plan to support the hospital is successful. Once your plan is approved, we will help promote your fundraiser on our social media channels. Please follow accurate sources of information, including Ontario.ca/coronavirus. Information specific to RMH can be found here: https://rmh.org/covid-19