Impact to Services and Operations
We, at Eastern Health, would like to reassure our patients that we are resuming and/or increasing service levels that were slowed or suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to thank patients for their support as we adjust to offering services while the province progresses through the various COVID-19 Alert Levels.
Rest assured that we are here to care for those in need. We are doing everything necessary to ensure that our critical services are adequately delivered to our patients, residents and clients, and that our employees and physicians are safe.
If you have any questions, please contact your health provider directly. If you feel there has been a change in your health status, please contact your physician or nurse practitioner for an appointment. If you do not have a family doctor or a regular health provider, please call the 811 NL Health Line (811 / TTY 1-888-709-3555) to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week about any health issue or concern.
In this section you will find information related to what you can expect when you visit our facilities and about the progress we are making to reintroduce programs and services in some key areas, including medical diagnostics and laboratory services.
Preparing for your visit at our facilities
Resumption of Services
The timelines for when various programs and services resume will be different across our many programs and services and may be different at hospitals and community sites across the region. As of late September, due to the diligent efforts of our management and staff to increase services while also respecting public health orders, just about all programs have resumed 90-100 per cent pre-COVID service levels.
The increase in service capacity must be balanced with the need to maintain precautions put in place to keep patients, visitors and staff safe throughout the pandemic. This includes the ability to physical distance, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, bed occupancy, availability of drugs and supplies, pre-procedure swabbing, additional cleaning protocols between patient visits, and the many new measures added to our normal workflow processes to ensure patient and staff safety.
COVID-19 Alert Level 2
The June 25, 2020 update provides information on our efforts to increase services during COVID-19 Alert Level 2, including medical imaging, endoscopy, cardiac diagnostics, laboratory services, surgical services, ambulatory clinics including physician clinics, allied health services such as, but not limited to, rehabilitation services, physiotherapy, and audiology. Appointments are also being scheduled in community health, and for women’s health services such as, but not limited to, fertility services.
We have also increased inpatient, outpatient and community-based services, as well as the resumption of some non-urgent procedures, surgeries, and elective testing as capacity and safe physical distancing allows. Information on these and other services is also available below.
Our top priority is, and continues to be, delivering safe patient care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. We acknowledge that this is a difficult time for those awaiting routine procedures and we thank them for their patience and understanding during this unprecedented situation.
*Progress data charts available.
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