Community Spotlight: “The goodwill of nurses is exhausted”- STEGH President and CEO

As we enter Year 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not a matter of when St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital reaches its capacity.

Hospital President and CEO Karen Davies cautions the facility has been at capacity for a long time.

Davies also advised that all areas of the hospital are short staffed and “the goodwill of nurses is exhausted.”

With an explosion of Omicron variant cases, Davies says there is a real risk of being overwhelmed.

On Wednesday the hospital Tweeted, “Today, our inpatient area is at 120%. That means 78 patients are in an area intended for 65.”

The hospital has established “hot areas” to deal with individuals exhibiting COVID symptoms.

Davies stresses the value of vaccination, but cautioned they don’t make the disease go away.

Davies admits she is disappointed in the way some members of the public are treating staff and there is no reason it should be tolerated.

She reminds if you have to attend the hospital, “we ask and we expect people to wait and please be kind to our staff.”