NGH adding further restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
January 10, 2022
We are dealing with a fifth wave of COVID-19 in Ontario. The highly contagious Omicron variant has resulted in a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among our population.
This has impacted Norfolk General Hospital’s staffing levels in an already stretched health care system.
In-line with Directive 2, which has been implemented by the Ontario Government, Norfolk General Hospital (NGH) will be postponing non-urgent surgeries, procedures and ambulatory care activity to ensure that we can continue providing urgent and emergent care to those in need. If you are scheduled to have surgery at NGH in the coming weeks, your care team will contact you shortly.
In light of these compounding challenges, we are prepared to take extraordinary measures to ensure we can continue to deliver care where it is needed the most. These measures include:
- Non-urgent medical procedures and elective surgeries will be postponed. Unless contacted by NGH, appointments are postponed. Patients and clients will be contacted to reschedule when the situation allows.
- Ambulatory Outpatient Clinic and Professional Services (such as laboratory services, blood and specimen collection and Diagnostic Imaging) appointments will be postponed for non-urgent cases. Again, unless contacted by NGH, appointments are postponed. Patients and clients will be contacted to reschedule when the situation allows.
- There are no social visitors allowed in our hospitals. Some exceptions to these visitor restrictions are in place for patients who are eligible for designated Essential Care Providers. More information on visitor restrictions is available on our website.
- All patients, clients and Essential Care Providers will continue to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and asked a series of questions upon entry to our facilities.
- We will continue to urge patients to seek alternate options for non-urgent health care needs, rather than presenting to an Emergency Department
Our priority continues to be providing as many urgent and emergency services as possible for our patients and clients while keeping our staff, physicians and communities safe.
We continue to be challenged by this pandemic, and we know that after almost two years we are all tired. To help support our health-care workers, who have led us throughout this entire pandemic, we are asking the public to please continue to follow public health guidelines: wear masks, practice good hand hygiene, limit contacts, etc. Above all, please be kind to one another. We are all in this together.
We want you to know, we are here for you. We are doing everything we can to provide safe and quality care to those who need it.
Thank you for continuing to support one another in the face of these added pressures.
Media contact
Aaron Gautreau
Director of Communications & Public Relations
Norfolk General Hospital & West Haldimand General Hospital
Office phone: 519-426-0130 ext. 2454
Cell phone: 226-931-5752
