A public plea for help, last measure for overwhelmed Sarnia hospital

Hospitals in our region have publicly sounded alarm bells to rising COVID admissions and critical staff shortages.

But none have issued a desperate plea for help like Sarnia’s hospital.

In an open letter to the community, Bluewater Health states an “urgent” COVID crisis is impacting hospital staffing, procedures and ultimately patients.

The letter is signed by Doctor Mike Haddad, the chief of staff, and Mike Lapaine, president and CEO.

“Please help us help the people who need us the most”, reads the letter, which includes some disturbing facts the hospital hopes will alert people to follow public health guidelines more than ever.

Among them is a critical care crisis where ICU beds are filling — rapidly.

“Our ICU is 100 per cent full. Two-thirds of those patients have severe COVID disease. Most are on ventilators,” Haddad tells CTV News London.

Among those sick patients, and 30 more COVID admissions in other hospital wards, is an age group not typically seen in high numbers until now.

Haddad says many are in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and unvaccinated. “Most of the ICU patients, in fact, 90 per cent of them, have not been vaccinated.”

The letter states rising admissions have led to more end-of-life discussions in a reopened, dedicated, COVID-19 unit.

But caring for the sick is becoming harder to manage for Bluewater Health

Staff absences are now five times higher than typical. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is forcing the remaining staff to work double shifts with vacation, much needed the letter contends, cancelled.

Also cancelled are all but the most urgent surgeries.

The situation has Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, a politician known for not being shocked by much, alarmed.

“It’s chilling, it’s absolutely chilling. That means that after 19 months of trying to get this message across, to all ages, that it’s not being received by some. And that is very disturbing.”

Bradley and Haddad are begging those not vaccinated to act now, and for those who have two vaccinations to continue to seek booster shots.

“It’s a very compelling letter and I hope it will open the hearts, minds and ears of people that need to get vaccinated. Need to continue to mask and do social distancing and to stay-at-home if at all possible”, concluded Bradley.