Health Sciences North opens 40 new beds to meet challenge of pandemic overcrowding

Health Sciences North in Greater Sudburywill be opening up at least 40 additional beds at Daffodil Lodge, to help deal with overcrowding, hospital president and CEO Dominic Giroux says.

Giroux said the extra beds located on the second and third floors of Daffodil Lodge will help relieve some of the pressure of accommodating surgical patients, as well as the expected rise in the number of flu and COVID-19 patients.

"Since August, we have already opened 29 additional beds at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre, including two 12-bed wards," Giroux said in a newsrelease Monday. "According to Ontario Health, HSN has the highest occupancy percentage in the province, when compared against Ontario hospitals with more than 100 acute beds."

"This is further evidence that HSN was built too small," Giroux said.

The hospitalsaid that at its November peak, it admitted 515 patients. The facility is only designed to accommodate 441 beds.

Daffodil Lodge was opened in 1991 to provide accommodation for up to 70 cancer patients travelling to Sudbury for treatment. Last fiscal year, the hospital said on average, eightpatients used the facility daily, and Girouxsays occupancy has continued to be low during the pandemic.

"What we've noticed during the pandemic is that many cancer patients actually prefer not to come to the lodge, because there isn't much left to do in the lodge because they're not able to gather with other residents. And hotel rooms provide better amenities and more space for them during their stay," Giroux said.

Going forward, Giroux says theDaffodil Lodge coordinator will connect with patients, and find them accommodation in a hotel.

The new temporary hospital beds will continue to house patients until the summer of 2022, when 52 new beds are expected to open at the site of the former Children's Treatment Centre.

"These are the short term steps that are being taken. In the long term we know that our hospital will require capital redevelopment, and we expect in 2021 to have more details to share about what we envision for phase one of that capital redevelopment," Giroux said.

The Daffodil Lodge is able to accommodate up to 60 beds if needed, Giroux says, but the hospital is beginning with 40, in part due to the challenges of finding enough staff. He says thehospital isalready actively recruiting for the 55 positions needed to operate the extra 40 beds.