The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) is postponing non-urgent surgeries due to mounting staff absences mounting. The move is an attempt to preserve essential services.
President and CEO Andrew Williams says as of Thursday, almost 80 staff are unavailable to be scheduled to work because they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms with a test result pending, have tested positive for COVID-19 or have had a high risk exposure.
Those impacted by surgical postponements will be contacted directly by their surgeon’s office.
"With many of the patient care units and supporting departments across our sites already strained for staffing, adjustments need to be made to both allow for the re-assignment of staff and to help reduce the risk of exposures that may lead to additional COVID-19 cases,” says Andrew Williams, President & CEO. “We obviously regret having to postpone these surgeries, however the uncertainty we are facing with the Omicron variant requires these added safety measures to be implemented.”