What's Happening at the Royal Columbian Hospital?

Fortunately, all is going well at the Royal Columbia Hospital during these times of Covid19. According to Jeff Norris, CEO and President of the RCH Foundation, there has been an exceptional level of help and support that has been provided for front-line workers by local citizens and businesses. 

Medical Director, Dr. Steve Reynolds, says that the situation for the 4,000-strong staff of the hospital is definitely not normal. He says, “It's the Superbowl for healthcare workers but we're trained for it.” There is a broad-range or anxiety levels among the staff, but the feeling generally is that “we've got this.” The hospital has not been overwhelmed, thanks to the effective social distancing by the general population under the leadership of the BC's Medical Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry; also good planning has figured in.

Rnold Smith, CEO, of the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce hosted yet another Zoom meeting with local business leaders so they could learn what's happening at the Royal Columbia Hospital; how staff is coping, how they can help, and how the hospital is functioning in these times of Covid19.

Situated in New Westminster, the Royal Columbia Hospital is a large regional hospital that is a major centre for complex cases in the Fraser Health Authority, including cardiac and neurosurgery, Level 1 trauma and neonatal intensive care. Dr. Reynolds assured everyone that all these services were on-going, only elective surgeries have been postponed and they'll be restarting soon. The emergency room has been quiet, but he assured viewers that people should feel safe coming to the hospital if they potentially have serious issues.

Norris of the RCH Foundation says that many businesses have stepped forward to help their needs for personal protective equipment, with some companies retooling to make the needed gear. They have a central warehouse for the authority so that all 60 hospitals in the region will have the what they need. Also they've partnered with local restaurants, hotels and taxi services so that RCH staff don't have to worry about basic living concerns. He says that businesses should get in touch with the foundation if they want to help fulfill any of their needs; staff will walk them through any protocols required to make it happen. Their website is www.rchfoundation.com. He suggests entrepreneurs sign up for the foundation newsletter too.

The affable Dr. Steve Reynolds, Medical Director, who has a specialty in infectious diseases, is an ICU physician and a researcher with a special interest in ventilators, certainly made Zoom meeting participants feel very confident about what they were hearing about the situation. He was also reassuring that all hospitals in the authority are 'up to the job', and that there are a lot of redundancies in place in case of a sudden surge in Covid19 patients. In talking about these times, he said, “It is scary, but this is what we are good at.” 

Both Reynolds and Norris  emphasized that it is really a big moral boost for the staff to see all the support from the community, in all its many forms, including messages from people, to the acts of generosity providing food and gifts.

By: Susan Millar