STEPHEN RICCIO
SHAWVILLE July 22, 2020
As the number of active COVID-19 cases in the Outaouais continues a downward trend, the Pontiac Community Hospital (PCH) is several weeks into the process of . . .
resuming services that were put on hold in March.
The PCH is currently at 70 to 80 per cent of their full capacity as they take a measured approach to returning to full services, said coordinator Gilbert Daoust in a phone interview with THE EQUITY.
The non-essential services that were paused were within the following areas: all consultation appointments, external clinic visits, pediatrics, ear, nose, throat and gynecology.
Daoust said there are now some consultations being done over the phone if a physical or visual evaluation is not needed.
In terms of the non-essential services that are back on, everything needs to be done by appointment.
“We have to consider our waiting rooms, we have to respect the distancing of two metres,” Daoust explained.
The preventative guidelines for the hospital have been drawn from recommendations from the Quebec institute of public health, known also as the INSPQ, and infection control services. These guidelines included, and still does include, creating certain zones and visitor limitations within the hospital.
“Since we started that, everything is going smoothly, and [according] to the recommendations that the ministry is asking us to do,” Daoust said.
Daoust said that he hadn’t witnessed a significant jump in demand that would suggest that people were impatiently waiting for these services, but he also acknowledged that the hospital has to make Pontiac residents feel safe before returning.
“Now we have to give them back the confidence that if they come, and we respect the handwashing and wearing a mask if it’s necessary if you’re a vulnerable person, and with coming rules, I think that starting Saturday, the mask will be required if they want to come to the hospital,” Daoust said. “But since we restarted, I could say that here, because we weren’t affected by COVID as what we expected, it’s easier for the population to regain confidence.”
Although the hospital is far from back to normal, Daoust is positive about how things have progressed.
“I would say we’re running it pretty smoothly,” Daoust said. “We didn’t get any complaints, everybody’s satisfied.”
Daoust also commented on the obstetrics unit that has been closed at the hospital since late February. The local health authority, known as CISSSO, had set the goal of reopening by September.
“I know there is a committee on, they’re still talking about the situation,” Daoust said. “We’re in the summer period right now, so there’s holidays and all that, so it’s pretty hard to get everyone around the table. But I know that there’s talk and we’re still waiting for the outcome, we’ll have a better picture in September of what the outcome is.”
When asked if that would suggest that there will not be a return of the unit until after September, Daoust said it was too early to provide an answer.
