Bruyère adds further visitor restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
01/04/2022
With the sharp increase in community spread of the Omicron variant, the province of Ontario this week announced several new measures in response, placing additional restrictions on gathering sizes and limiting many types of indoor activities.
Keeping our patients and residents, our teams, and all of our loved ones safe remains our highest priority. We are restricting general visitation at our hospital campuses starting, January 5, 2022. By restricting visitation, we are reducing the chances of transmission of COVID-19 on our campuses.
This means only designated care partners will be allowed to visit while general visitors will no longer be permitted at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital, Saint-Vincent Hospital and the Greystone Village Transitional Care Unit, with exceptions for those receiving end-of-life care. This mirrors recent changes to visitation in long-term care which came into effect on December 30.
As integral members of our care teams, DCPs will still be able to come in to offer support. Our DCPs are helping a great deal, and we are appreciative of the friends and family members that are helping to care for their loved ones on our campuses during this time.
We know this is difficult and appreciate your understanding and thank you for helping us keep your loved ones, our teams and everyone we care for safe. We are constantly monitoring the situation and will revisit this decision as soon as we are safely able to do so.
We have supports available to our patients, residents and their loved ones:
- If you have questions about our pandemic response, please contact our family support service at familysupportservice@bruyere.org or 613-562-6262 ext. 4200.
- We welcome virtual visits for patients and can try to schedule a time to visit with your loved one virtually. Please contact volunteer@bruyere.org or 613-562-6364 to make arrangements.
- DCPs are integral members of our care teams and provide at least 5 hours of care and support to their loved ones per week. If you are able and interested in making this commitment, please email DCP@bruyere.org to apply.