CORNWALL, Ontario – In his daily update to the media on April 8, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Chief Medical Officer of Health with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), said that local hospitals are running low of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
For the Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH), he said that he felt that the hospital had between one and two weeks of PPE on hand.
Dr. Paul explained that typically, the province has a stockpile of two-to-three months worth of PPE, but because of the need of PPE across the province due to the pandemic, that stockpile has been depleted.
“We are looking at collecting all used PPE and looking at sanitizing them and re-using them, but that is a last resort,” he said. “I am fully confident that we will be getting a supply of PPE soon.”
At the end of March, the CCH put out a public plea for more PPE through community donations.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Cornwall Community Hospital has the personal protection equipment (PPE) and supplies we need today, but it is extremely important that we use these items judiciously and explore other avenues to prepare for tomorrow,” reads a statement from the CCH.
“With this unprecedented moment in mind, we are calling on local businesses, organizations and individuals to donate any existing personal protective equipment and supplies that may be beneficial to the doctors, nurses and staff who may best use them to keep our community healthy,” the statement goes on to say.
Dr. Paul said he was confident that a delivery of PPE would be coming to the EOHU region’s hospitals before they run out.
The CCH is seeking full and sealed packages of the following items:
- Procedure masks with or without visors
- Visors and or safety glasses
- Hand Sanitizer “table-top 500 ml”
- Isolation gowns both level 2 and level 3
- Nitrile gloves (latex free small/medium/large)
- N95 masks (all types)
The hospital listed the following organizations and businesses as possible sources of these items:
- Industrial facilities or plants
- Mechanical or detailing shops
- Veterinarians
- Dental offices
- Paving companies
- Construction companies
- Large-scale farm operations
The CCH noted that it is currently seeking standard equipment at this time and not homemade equipment.
