Essential visits only at Vancouver health facilities due to COVID-19
Posted March 23, 2020 3:52 pm.
Last Updated March 23, 2020 5:02 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver Coastal Health, due to the novel coronavirus, is restricting visits at all facilities to those that are essential only.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working closely with the Ministry of Health to protect the health of everyone in B.C., including seniors living in long-term care homes,” says a Vancouver Coastal Health release. “We are restricting all visitors to essential visits only.”
Essential visits include:
- Compassionate care (end of life, critical illness);
- Visits paramount to patient, client, resident care and well-being, such as assistance with feeding or mobility;
- Existing registered volunteers providing services related to the above.
“We hope you understand these new rules are in place to protect the health of our patients, clients, residents, staff and physicians,” says Vancouver Coastal.
“We will advise the public when these new rules are lifted.”
Vancouver Coastal Health provides health care services through a network of hospitals, primary care clinics, community health centres and residential care homes in Vancouver, Richmond, North and West Vancouver and along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, Sunshine Coast and B.C.’s Central Coast.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced three new deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday, increasing the total in B.C. to 13.
Of the new deaths, one more was at the Lynn Valley Care Centre. Another was at the Haro Park care home, while the other was a community case in the Fraser Health region.
A majority of the deaths in B.C. is linked to Lynn Valley, while Henry said six care homes now have cluster outbreaks.
The province, on Monday, ordered all long-term care workers to be screened when reporting for work every day.
The death total in Canada related to COVID-10 is up to 23.
In case you’re wondering what essential means:
-Compassionate care (end of life, critical illness)
-Visits around patient/client/resident care & well-being, like assistance with feeding or mobility
-Existing registered volunteers providing the aforementioned services— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) March 23, 2020
