Increased wait times, temporary emergency room closures and staffing shortages continue to be major issues at hospitals across Ontario this fall. The main reason has been an increase in COVID-19, influenza and respiratory virus cases. Due to this situation, many hospitals have reported to be operating at critical staffing levels.
Canada’s premiers have launched a new advertising campaign through the Council of the Federation, which comprises all 13 provincial and territorial premiers, aimed at ratcheting up public pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with them and negotiate a higher federal contribution to healthcare costs.
Ontario has quietly changed masking rules for long-term care homes, no longer requiring caregivers and visitors to wear them when alone with a resident in their room. Long-term care homes are one of the only places where provincial mask mandates remain after Ontario lifted most such requirements in June.
Some Ontario hospitals are coming up with alternative solutions, including new staffing models and the use of unconventional patient spaces, to deal with high patient volumes and long wait times as cases of COVID-19 and other illnesses rise. The Ottawa Hospital said recent high patient volumes have been straining its capacity, while staff pressures and ongoing COVID-19 cases have made it difficult to manage the issue.
On our most recent podcast, we talk about emotional intelligence and how developing it can be truly beneficial for healthcare workers. Our guest this time was Maureen Gaetz-Faubert, an emotional energy healer, emotional intelligence practitioner, and blogger based in Alberta who believes that it is time to put the heart back into healthcare.
At Caring Support we are all about supporting immigrants who want to enter the healthcare workforce in cities like London, Toronto, and Ottawa, which is why we recently sat down with Mildred Ababio, a nurse leader and a second-generation immigrant, with whom we spoke about the immigrant experience in healthcare system for both workers and patients.
We'll keep you updated on all new application updates and features!