Hospitals in Tillsonburg and Ingersoll Still Providing Patient Care and ER Care During Pandemic

Monday, 23 March 2020 at 14:16

The Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital want to reassure everyone that the hospitals are still available for those who require hospital care.

INGERSOLL/TILLSONBURG - The Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital want to reassure our communities that the hospitals are still available for those who require hospital care.

President and CEO Sandy Jansen says the visitor restrictions have caused some confusion.

"We have had many calls from individuals wondering if it is still safe for them to come to the emergency department when they need care. Our hospitals are still open for business for those who need emergency care, or need to be admitted to the hospital. We are doing everything possible to keep our communities and our health care workers safe in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and we are still here as your community hospital when you need us."

Effective March 17, AHI and TDMH suspended all elective and non-essential hospital based services and programs until further notice. The Emergency Department remains open and is still available to patients who need emergency care.

Family physician offices in our community are also open but please be certain to call ahead for instructions from your family doctor. Patients are reminded that they will be screened before entry to the hospital for respiratory illnesses (including COVID-19). Active screening is necessary to keep our patients, staff, and physicians safe while also identifying those individuals with symptoms and travel history or possible exposure to a COVID-19 positive case.

For the protection of our patients and staff, effective March 19, 2020, visiting hours were restricted to essential visitors only, which include those who are visiting a patient who is critically ill or requiring end-of-life care.

Chief Nursing Executive Cheryl Pfaff says restricting visitors was not an easy decision.

"We recognize that restricting visitors is distressing for patients and their families. We want to reassure families the staff working at the hospital are committed to being there for your loved ones when you can't be. We will smile at them, we will talk to them, we will listen to them, and we will care for them."