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Preparing for Success

Responding to a national health crisis requires advance preparation, dedication, teamwork, research and a lot of people willing to pitch in and get the job done. Last year, an H1N1 influenza pandemic garnered unprecedented media attention and public awareness and presented our health-care system with new challenges and stresses.

Dr. Virginia Roth—along with thousands of others—was directly involved with TOH’s response to the H1N1 crisis. “Over 450 employees volunteered to assist at the clinics, so we had no shortage of volunteers,” she remembers now. “TOH has every type of expertise that one could hope for. In addition to the actual vaccination, we had our people working as greeters, handling orientation, paperwork, logistics, IT support, traffic and security—the hospital community really came together as a team,” Dr. Roth says.

Working with Public Health

In addition to the work of Dr. Roth, Thomas Hayes, TOH’s Director of Occupational Health, Safety and Emergency Preparedness, was instrumental in the Clinical Care Command Centre set up to help Ottawa prepare for emergencies such as the H1N1 pandemic. The committee brought together representatives from across the health-care spectrum in the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Working together, hospitals, long-term, primary and community care providers, schools, the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) and Ottawa Public Health identified local needs, and the tactics required to meet them.

Early public concerns about a possible lack of vaccine resulted in some confusion as early vaccine lots were reserved for public health outlets and not available to hospitals. “Our challenge was to protect patients and staff to keep the hospital open and operating,” says Dr. Roth, “and we ultimately decided to operate weekend clinics as vaccine became more available,” she said.

TOH’s initial plan was to vaccinate staff and, following a request from Ottawa Public Health, family members and the general public.

“Over two weekends we vaccinated 17,000 people with one Saturday dedicated to pregnant women and their families. We also accepted overflow patients from public health sites and we are very proud of the success we had collaborating with our partners at Ottawa Public Health,” Dr. Roth says.

The H1N1 crisis was an unprecedented event for TOH. “The testimonials we have received speak loudly and clearly to the success—and tone—of the clinics. Nobody was turned away, people from every department volunteered and we met the challenge head-on,” remembers Dr. Roth, “and we also saw how our new vision could come alive and enable us to live our vision in public!” she concluded.

Behind the Scenes

Our Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit cared for some of our community’s sickest patients, as our acute care services responded to the H1N1 crisis. Despite the burden on TOH’s critical care, nurses, physicians and other health-care professionals inspired us all with the level of care they provided while leading a number of important clinical trials and research studies. The results provided crucial early information about how H1N1 affects the body and how best to prevent—and treat—it. Their efforts helped improve care at TOH and around the world.