People in the London area who have elective surgeries scheduled at St. Joseph's Health Care are going to have to wait a little longer for their procedures.
The hospital announced Thursday that it is rescheduling all elective or non-emergency surgeries and procedures as is continues to take in critically ill patients from other parts of the province.
Patients whose procedures are being delayed will be contacted directly, according to the hospital.
“We understand this is a stressful time for our patients but we must ensure the health care system, regionally and provincially, has capacity to meet the needs of the most critically ill during this third wave of the pandemic,” St. Joseph's Health Care President and CEO Dr. Gillian Kernaghan. “This is a rapidly evolving situation. We continue to closely assess the needs in London and our region, and how our organization can respond.”
In addition to the procedure delays, the hospital also announced that it is redeploying staff as necessary, opening more beds for non-COVID-19 patients, and making sure transfers are made in a timely fashion.
"For this latest wave of the pandemic, St. Joseph’s has received funding for up to 44 additional beds,which will be made available at Parkwood Institute as the need arises," a statement released by the hospital said. "Twenty-seven of these beds already exist at Parkwood Institute Main Building and have been used at various points in the pandemic. More beds will be added and staff will be redeployed from other areas of St. Joseph’s as needed to ensure safe and expert care."
The hospital added that virtual care options are available for patients so they can stay in contact with their care teams.