The president and CEO of Bluewater Health is worried about the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
During CHOK's (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) COVID-19 update Tuesday morning, Mike Lapaine told Sue Storr they have adequate supplies today but he has concerns about the long-term.
"That's the one thing keeping me awake at night is our supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our staff," said Lapaine. "As everyone knows, there is a global shortage in getting PPE supplies to any hospital. Every hospital in the world right now is looking to get PPE. You just look south of the border with what's going on in New York City and Detroit and you can see that everyone is scrambling on this issue."
Lapaine said they're working on new guidelines for the proper use of PPE because it's a precious commodity right now.
"We have to ensure we can conserve it, we're very concerned about ensuring we protect our staff and they've come up with some very practical guidelines of how we can extend the amount of stock we have. What we don't know is when will we get another shipment, when will supply chains start to open up?"
Lapaine said staff have the option to stay in a local hotel if they're in self-isolation or have concerns about bringing the virus home to family.
"We've had some staff that have been forced into self-isolation. Bluewater Health, with the help of our foundation, is supporting them to stay in a local hotel. We have made accommodation arrangements and we have some staff who are accessing that service."
He added a very special hotel rate has been arranged for those nervous about going home because they may have an immune-compromised individual or elderly parent living with them.
Despite the increase in COVID-19 cases locally, Lapaine said Bluewater Health is still in a great position in terms of capacity with about a third of the 300 beds still available as of Tuesday morning. He said about eight of their 16 ICU beds were occupied and they have the option to create about another 14 if necessary.
The CEO thanked the community for its outpouring of support and recommended any donations be made to the Bluewater Health Foundation.
-With files from Sue Storr
