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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-11-11, Page 8IMPORTANT INFORMATION ., + 1 Public Health Agence de la sante Agency of Canada publique du Canada PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE H1N1 FLU Health Canada has approved the vaccine against the pandemic H1N1 flu virus. Scientific studies have shown that this vaccine is safe and effective. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and the people around you from getting infected with H1N1 flu. This vaccine will be available for every Canadian. To find out where you can receive it, please check with your provincial and territorial public health authority. For more information on the H1N1 flu and the vaccine, go to www.fightflu.ca or call 1 800 0 -Canada. Page 8 The Huronp Expositor • November 11, 2009 News H1N1 puts Alliance's critical care surge planning into effect �ueail }Iyndertr 411111.1.1111. The recent H1N1 pandemic allowed the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance to put its critical care surge planning into effect, Alliance board members were told at last Thursday's meeting in Clinton. Jacquie Martin, manager of criti- cal care and medicine, made a pre- sentation about. what the Alliance has been doing to meet provincial expectations to develop critical care strategies for Its hospitals. • "The SARS pandemic in 2003 high- lighted the lack of coordination of critical care services in Ontario," she said, adding that planning is being done across the province for a stan- dardized framework for the 1,800 criticial care beds in Ontario. While a minor surge is defined as an increase in demand for criti- cal care services up to 15 per cent beyond normal capacity in an indi- vidual hospital, a moderate surge is a demand that calls on surrounding hospitals in a LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) and a major surge overwhelms to healthcare re- sources of hospitals and regions for an extended time. In the Alliance, a minor surge has been occurring for the past few weeks with the H1N1 pandemic. "We were going to start some drills and trial runs but however we are now ilia minor surge so we're tweak- ing as we go along. And, it has been rather effective," said Martin. A minor surge for the Alliance means its six critical care beds have been increased to seven. Martin said the Alliance is using a white triage board in the critical care area to identify patients who can or cannot be transferred out of critical care each day. A red patient is not likely to be transferred within the next 36-48 hours while yellow and green pa- tients are likely to be able to be trans- ferred during the next 24 hours. As well, it's determined if the Alli- ance is operating at a Level 1, which means six patients are admitted to the ICU (intensive care unit) or a Level 2, which means seven patients are admitted to the ICU. "As .soon as we get that sixth pa- tient, we're looking at who can trans- fer out," she said, adding that the seventh patient is accommodated in the recovery bay in the new inten- sive care unit at Stratford General Hospital. "The doctors know at one look what they have .to deal with - they like the new system," she said. Martin said critical care and telem- etry nurses have been cross -trained to fill in for each other when there's an increased demand in critical care. A meeting was planned for Monday that would discuss how a moderate surge would affect local hospitals and the South West LHIN.