Community Update

 A special edition of The Pulse

Return of Visitors

Hospital and Long-term Care site now allow one visitor per patient and resident

Earlier this month we reached an important step in our recovery efforts – welcoming visitors back onto our sites. Families, friends and caregivers are important members of the care team, and we have all felt their absence over the past several months.

Unfortunately, things are obviously not back to normal. To ensure the safety of patients, visitors and staff there are new rules and criteria that must be followed. This includes only one designated visitor per patient and mandatory use of face masks or face coverings. Full details on the new visitor access policy, along with how to arrange a visit are available online.

Masking in the Community

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 

Several municipalities within the Greater Toronto Area have taken the important step of passing bylaws mandating the use of masks or face coverings indoors. North York General Hospital knows first-hand how face masks, together with physical distancing and hand hygiene, have been critical in stemming the spread of COVID-19.

As our organization begins to increase services, masks remain a cornerstone to our infection control and prevention practices. We will continue to have a universal masking policy for the foreseeable future, and we encourage all who work, volunteer and learn at North York General to wear masks or face coverings in the community. To help ensure our broader North York community has access to masks, our Foundation began selling cloth face masks at maskupnygh.ca which quickly sold out. They have also provided every staff and physician a cloth mask for their use outside of the hospital.

To keep COVID-19 off our doorstep we all must continue to work together. By keeping ourselves safe, we keep each other safe.

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Caring for our Community

NYGH assumes management of Hawthorne Place Care Centre

Early in our pandemic response, North York General worked with 22 long-term care, retirement and other congregate homes in our community to help fight COVID-19. COVID-19 has had devasting impacts on several long-term care homes across Ontario, including Hawthorne Place Care Centre (2045 Finch Ave W.). After being supported by the Canadian Armed Forces, who were instrumental in helping to bring the facility off outbreak status, we were asked by the government to assume management of Hawthorne Place.

Since assuming management on June 15, North York General staff and physicians have been working alongside Hawthorne Place management, staff, residents and families to support recovery. We have submitted a detailed management recovery plan to the Ministry of Health and over the next 90 days will develop action plans focused on quality of care (clinical and physician), leadership and management (occupational health, culture, and engagement) and communication. Supported by a dedicated NYGH on-site executive lead, our approach is one of collaboration while building capacity to enable long-term success. We have committed to transparency with staff, residents and families and will share updates regularly.

Move of Ambulatory Services from Branson

Revitalized outpatient facilities while making way for a new RCC

North York General has a long-term strategy to design and create spaces that will improve the patient experience and meet the future needs of our communities, as well as staff, physicians, volunteers and learners. Part of this includes transitioning remaining ambulatory services from our Branson Ambulatory Care Centre. In 2018, we announced two new locations on Champagne Drive and Consumer Road. Last week, the final moves were completed.

These moves support the recent announcement to revitalize the Branson Ambulatory Centre to create a Reactivation Care Centre (RCC). Through a $1.5 million Planning Grant from the Ontario government, we will begin to lay the groundwork for improving access to care for patients and families and reducing wait times in hospitals. This grant will support up to 130 new transitional care beds for NYGH and other hospitals who are facing capacity challenges.