Grand River Hospital, in consultation with Region of Waterloo Public Health, has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 on one of its mental health and addictions units, 1F (adult inpatient mental health). Three staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in connection to this outbreak.
“Our staff has been doing an incredible job providing exceptional care throughout these challenging times,” says Bonnie Camm, Executive Vice President, Clinical Services at Grand River Hospital. “This level of activity will be an ongoing reality for hospitals, as community transmission continues to rise. However, our stringent safety and surveillance protocols have allowed our infection prevention and control and employee health teams to quickly identify, monitor, and contain outbreaks, for the protection of patients and staff.”
The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority. When the hospital declares an outbreak, we immediately implement the following enhanced protocols:
- Increased surveillance to identify potential cases and follow-up investigations, including testing all patients and staff on the unit;
- More frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces;
- Cohorting staff as much as possible;
- Education of patients and families about COVID-19 hospital protocols;
- Continually reviewing our practices and implementing new measures as required, as part of our ongoing risk assessments;
- Temporarily closing admissions to the unit;
- Temporarily suspending in person care partner visits to the unit and working to enhance virtual and phone connections for our patients and families.
For more information, please contact:
Aubrey Waters, Director, People, Experience and Communications
Cell: (519)-577-0511