Working Draft for:
Preeceville's Main Street with the Mayor Garth Harris for April 9th, 2020 8:35 am
With GX94's Craig Wallebeck > see him @ http://www.gx94radio.com/craig-Wallebeck
This week we focus on: Next Phase of COVID-19 Response Plan
SHA Releases Next Phase Of COVID-19 Response Plan
Released on April 8, 2020
"Continued efforts on the part of the public are needed to ensure our health system can respond to the impact of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.
Modeling data released today by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) indicates that the key variable for saving lives and protecting health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is public compliance with prescribed isolation measures, physical distancing, effective hand washing and staying home, whenever and wherever possible.
It also indicates that current interventions are making a difference.
“Our job as a health care system is to provide care for those in need and to be ready for any scenario,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said. “While we understand Canadian data is starting to show some hopeful signs about flattening the curve on COVID-19, it is critical to remember not to be complacent. We need to continue to escalate our response to ensure we are prepared for the worst case scenarios and we need the public to help us avoid those scenarios.”
The SHA has increased access to testing through the creation of 38 testing sites around the province and tripled the staff available for contact tracing efforts to detect and prevent community transmission. As public health measures and capacity for community care services continue to increase, the acute care system has also been planning to add capacity. Up to 57 per cent more acute care capacity will be phased in as needed over the next several weeks, in anticipation of increased hospitalization rates. None of the major changes in this plan are immediate.
Communities will continue to be updated as changes to services and service locations occur in their areas through various communications channels as well as through Saskatchewan’s central access point for information at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.
The following are highlights of the measures the SHA is taking in its next phase of pandemic response to ensure safety by segmenting patient populations between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patient populations:
- Creating dedicated spaces within many of its facilities to cohort COVID-19 patients;
- Designating certain hospitals COVID-19 hospitals. These changes are not immediate. The SHA has proactively identified 20 out of its 65 hospitals that would be designated COVID-19 hospitals, if required to meet the clinical needs of the patient population in their areas of the province;
- Adding acute care capacity through the creation of field hospitals in Saskatoon and Regina, with more locations being considered as part of later, contingency planning.
These measures are in addition to those SHA has already initiated to meet the demands of COVID-19. A slowdown of non-essential services to increase bed availability has already created acute care capacity across the system for handling a surge in COVID-19 related cases at future stages of the pandemic.
As of April 5, 43 per cent of Saskatchewan’s acute care beds were available for use, largely as a result of the slow down and preparation for the surge.
“We wanted to be transparent with the plan going forward so the public is aware of the escalated measures we will put into place if needed, but it is critical to remember that many of the changes proposed in this plan will be implemented only in response to anticipated surges in patient demand that start to exceed our capacity,” Livingstone said. “Changes like conversion to COVID-19 dedicated hospitals will only occur where it is absolutely required to ensure safety and maintain access for patients who need our care.”
Saskatchewan residents can continue to help by taking specific action, including:
- Practising good hygiene, washing hands regularly and practicing physical distancing (two metres apart wherever possible);
- Taking care of family, friends and neighbours who may be affected by mandatory self-isolation orders;
- Abide by provincial and local travel, self-isolation, event and gathering restrictions;
- Use medical supplies effectively and efficiently so that they are there when needed; and
- Avoid visiting our hospitals and long-term care facilities unless there are compassionate reasons for doing so.
“No health system in the world can manage this challenge without the sustained help of the general public,” SHA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Shaw said. “To save lives, Saskatchewan residents need to do their best to stay healthy and strong and abide by the restrictions and guidelines for the general public around COVID-19. Demand will exceed our capacity as a health system if we are not diligent about these measures.”
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For more information, contact:
Lisa Thomson, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Regina
Phone: 306-539-4617 Email: lisa.thomson@saskhealthauthority.ca
Related Items
Health System Readiness Presentation
Health System Readiness Presentation
PURPOSE
SHA services will adapt and expand to meet the projected COVID‐19 patient demand, while continuing to deliver essential services to non‐COVID‐19 patients throughout the duration of the event.
OUTLINE
•Introduction
•Saskatchewan COVID‐19 Modelling
•Offence –Population Health, Public Health and Community Care
•Defense ‐Continuity of Health Services and Acute Surge Plan
•Questions
INTRODUCTION
Dynamic modelling can help assess the impact, over time, of various “what if” scenarios to estimate: •Transmission of COVID‐19 in a population
•Impact of various public health interventions
•Impact on acute care demand
Dynamic modelling is not predictive, rather it provides information to support response and preparedness
The models continuously update as we learn more about COVID‐19 and as we get more Canadian / Saskatchewan data
PLANNING AHEAD
•As we enter a new month the reality is hitting home– Saskatchewan is not immune. We can expect more cases and deaths
•We are learning from the experience of other provinces and around the world –modelling scenarios are based on our best knowledge at this time and will continue to be updated with Saskatchewan data
•All models underscore the importance of aggressive and sustained public health measures and population health approaches to "flatten the curve"
•The Saskatchewan Health Authority has based our response to the COVID‐19 pandemic on a strategy of contain, delay, mitigate and population health promotion
•The COVID‐19 pandemic involves everyone –and individuals and communities will be affected in different ways
•Our goal is to promote health, prevent disease and ensure health care services are available
PUBLIC HEALTH
Key strategies:
•Increasing testing (+14,000 tests performed)
•Identifying cases early
•Expanding contact tracing capacity (+300% increase in staff)
•Enforcing Chief Medical Health Officer orders
•Data tools to manage cases, clusters and outbreak
COMMUNITY CARE
Key strategies:
•Expanding HealthLine811 (+250 staff trained)
•Delivering more services through virtual care models (+750 clinicians set up)
•Testing and assessment centres
•38 SHA operated Testing sites across the province
•5 Assessment Sites in operation with 21 planned to open in the coming weeks
POPULATION HEALTH
Key strategies:
•Prioritize testing
•Protect health care workers and first responders
•Screening in Long Term Care
•Partnering with communities and across sectors
•Messaging for health education, health promotion and health equity
PRINCIPLES
•Meet the care needs of the province, with the goal of minimizing the loss of life by increasing capacity to provide care.
•Continuity of essential and urgent health services will be sustained for non‐COVID patients. There will be disruptions to “normal” health services delivery. This may mean alternate service delivery methods such as virtual care.
•The response will be staged according to increases in demand.
•Cohortingof COVID‐19 positive patients as much as possible. Field hospitals will be used where demand exceeds facilitybased capacity.
•Ethical decision making will occur throughout all aspects and phases of the pandemic based on the SHA Ethical Framework.
•We will need to deploy staff and physicians to other facilities to support care.
•Safety and Infection Prevention and Control will guide our work.
•Centralized bed flow coordination service to better serve all patients
ACUTE SURGE CAPACITY PLANNING
PLANNING SCENARIOS
•Planning is based on the best information available as outlined in the modelling scenarios. •Two scalable planning scenarios were created:
Planned Capacity:
•Based on a estimate of the patient demand between the high and mid‐range modelling scenarios. •Capacity that the system is activating immediately through a staged approach in response to patient demand.
Contingency Capacity:
•Based on a higher range estimate of patient demand. •Capacity that would be planned for but accessed only if needed based on the evolving situation.
STAGED RESPONSE
Principles of staged response to increased demand:
•Response is based on COVID‐19 demand in a given geographical area •Existing capacity will be accessed first before accessing expanded capacity
•COVID‐19 patients will be cohorted on designated units.
•COVID‐19 hospitals will initially act as mixed hospitals
•As COVID‐19 patient census increases, non‐COVID patients may be relocated from the facility to non‐COVID or mixed hospitals
INTEGRATED RURAL HEALTH
•Staged response to increased demand through a combination of COVID and non‐COVID facilities •No facility closures
•Temporarily convert some hospitals to support alternative level of care patients over the next 4‐6 weeks
•Alternate level of care patients will flow from tertiary and regional hospitals to create capacity in those locations •Temporary suspension of Emergency Department services to support reallocation of staff to higher need sites
•No field hospitals contemplated (capacity exists)
Full Report at: Health System Readiness Presentation
It is 45 pages.
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"What is the purpose of a business continuity plan?
Business continuity planning (BCP) is the process involved in creating a system of prevention and recovery from potential threats to a company. The plan ensures that personnel and assets are protected and are able to function quickly in the event of a disaster." Jun 1, 2019
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Events:
Preeceville & District Lions Club Chase the Ace - Minimum Jack-Pot is now at a $9,604.
Chase the Ace has been postponed due to Coronavirus concerns and will resume once it is safe to do so!
Draws every Thursday night at the Curling Rink.
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- And as always if you wish to have an event promoted visit and post it to our Community Events Calendar at www.townofPreeceville.ca
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