SARS Prevention at Niagara hospitals

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Following directives from the Provincial Commissioner of Public Health and the Provincial Commissioner of Public Safety Province of Ontario, all Niagara hospitals are restricting visitors until further notice, due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Niagara hospitals are:

  • Niagara Health System hospitals;
    • Douglas Memorial Hospital Site,
    • Greater Niagara General Site,
    • Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital Site,
    • Port Colborne General Site,
    • St. Catharines General Site,
    • Shaver & Niagara Rehab Site,
    • Welland Hospital Site
  • Hotel Dieu Health Sciences Hospital;
  • West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

At all Niagara hospitals, the following restrictions are in place until further notice:

  • A NO VISITORS POLICY, with the exception of visiting in compassionate circumstances to palliative care patients or critically-ill children or adults;
  • Restricted access to each hospital site through dedicated public entrances;
  • SARS Screening interviews will be conducted at each hospital entrance before admittance into building. Please allow extra time for this screening process;
  • Cancellation of non-essential volunteer and community programs;
  • Restrictions in non-essential deliveries to hospital facilities across Niagara, including flowers;
  • Suspension of community meetings at all hospitals, including social functions.

To receive patient updates, family members may telephone hospitals as needed. Hospitals request that a single family member be appointed to this role, in order to help us manage the volume of calls handled during this difficult time.

Residents with already-scheduled elective treatments, including surgical procedures and diagnostic testing, will be notified in advance by telephone if appointments at Niagara hospitals are to be cancelled and rescheduled.

The best precaution residents can take against SARS is frequent hand-washing. Here are proper hand-washing tips:

  1. Use warm running water and soap
  2. Rub hands together briskly for at least 15 seconds
  3. Rinse hands thoroughly
  4. Use clean paper towel to turn off tap and then dry hands

What is SARS?
SARS is a serious flu-like respiratory illness that appears to be spread when someone sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets into the air and someone else breathes them in. Neither the cause nor the cure for SARS is known at this point. In Ontario, there are now approximately 124 cases of SARS, primarily in the Toronto area.

Who is at Risk?
To be at risk to contract SARS, individuals must be able to answer ‘yes' to one or more of the following questions:

  • Visited any hospital in the Greater Toronto Area and/or Simcoe County after March 16, 2003?
  • Returned from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and/or Singapore in the past 10 days?
  • Had close contact with someone ill with SARS?

As well, here are the physical symptoms of SARS:

  • Myalgia (muscle aches)
  • Malaise (severe fatigue or unwell)
  • Severe headache (worse than usual)
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fever and/or chills

For More Information
If you think you may have symptoms of SARS, contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. For general information on SARS, contact the Ontario Health Hotline at 1-888-668-4636, or Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care at www.health.gov.on.ca or World Health Organization at www.who.int/en.

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