St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital
189 Elm Street N5R 5C4 Saint Thomas, ON, Canada

Students in our area are headed back to school next week.

While test results may be available in 24 48 hours, due to the high volume of testing, it may take up to 4 days. If you have not received your test result online after 4 days, then please call the Southwestern Public Health COVID-19 Call Centre at 1-800-922-0096 x 9 and they will try to help you. Southwestern Public Health

It's #BellLetsTalk Day and at STEGH, we are proud to join the conversation. The past year has been hard and it's okay to not be okay. Check in with those you love and with YOURSELF. Every action counts and help is available if you need it: https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/

THANK YOU to Heather at From the Meadow and St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation for making this donation happen. Staff LOVE the lip balm and hand cream!

Effective Friday, January 15, our COVID-19 Assessment Centre will no longer be testing individuals who are travelling outside of Canada and require a COVID-19 test before travelling or entering their country of destination. This is in compliance with a change in testing criteria from the Province of Ontario: https://news.ontario.ca//ontario-updates-testing-guideline

Chelsea is a unit clerk in our COVID-19 Assessment Centre, and is among the first cohort of staff who are receiving their COVID-19 vaccines this week! I got the vaccine for a number of reasons: I believe and trust in the science behind it; I want to keep my friends and community safe; I want to continue to support patients at STEGH and come to work everyday knowing I am healthy and at my best. Most importantly, I have people in my life who are susceptible to COVID-19, and I want to make sure I do everything I can to keep them safe.

Well, we're glad we took these photos last week! It just doesn't look the same covered in snow! Next time you visit the hospital, check out the beautiful garden and newly painted gazebo at the South Entrance. The tree was planted in recognition of those who battled breast cancer. Special thanks to Kettle Creek Landscaping for their beautiful work.

Christmas has arrived at the Gift Box! Next time you are at the hospital for an appointment, stop by and check out "gnome land". STEGH Gift Box

WOWZA! Congratulations to Betty Sherman, winner of our very first online 50/50 Raffle! Betty won $29,360! The November Raffle opens Monday at 9 AM. Mark your calendar and get your tickets!

To trick or treat or not? Dr. Lock shares her recommendation on behalf of Southwestern Public Health

Trick or treating safety tips from our STEGH family to yours... #halloween2020

When COVID began and safety measures increased, our Volunteer Program was placed on hold. Lisa Minielly, Specialist in Volunteer Services, had to adapt her role in response to the continuously changing environment. We are so lucky to have Lisa on our team, and we think our fabulous volunteers would agree as well! #thankfulthursday

Today, we're talking storage and distribution in our Medical Device Reprocessing Department (MDRD). MDRD Assistants deliver case carts filled with specific instruments and items required for procedures in the Operating Room.

When is virtual care NOT ideal? #patientsafety Canadian Patient Safety Institute

Today is #GlobalHandwashingDay! Washing your hands has never been more important. To mark this occasion, we're bringing back a video that we developed several months ago. Enjoy! https://vimeo.com/413711302 (Note: This video was created prior to the mandatory masking policy, we're simply sharing it again).

Staff in our Breast Assessment Program would like to thank Seasons Retirement for the adorable gift baskets that were delivered today in recognition of their hard work AND Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It's #WorldStrokeDay. We have made many changes at STEGH in response to the pandemic. Keeping stroke patients and their families connected while adhering to restricted visiting guidelines can be challenging, but it is a priority in our stroke unit. We have been connecting patients to their families using innovative technology, such as iPads, and applications like Zoom and Skype. This use of technology has improved patient outcomes and the overall patient and family experience.

...because who doesn't want a pink pumpkin? So cool! Pick yours up tomorrow night and support the Breast Assessment Program at STEGH!

It's #thankfulthursday and today we're recognizing our Respiratory Home Services team. This team has adopted enhanced safety measures in response to COVID-19 to ensure their patients have the equipment needed to remain safe in their homes. A BIG thank you to the team! (NOTE: This photo was pulled from the STEGH archives and was taken prior to COVID restrictions.)

We're taking the pledge to protect our loved ones and our community from COVID-19. Are YOU? #stopthespread https://www.ontariocovidpledge.ca/

In keeping with MDRD Week, we're explaining the Assembly and Sterilization processes today. MDRD Assistants inspect instruments for cleanliness and function, assemble them into "sets" to be used for procedures, and package them for sterilization. Before releasing the sterilized instruments for use, our MDRD Assistants verify that strict parameters are achieved.

THANK you, St. Thomas and Elgin County. We appreciate your support and your love of cookies!

Although we appreciate our emergency nurses year round, we take a moment this Emergency Nurses Week to recognize these heroes for making a difference throughout an incredibly difficult year. THANK YOU to our emergency nurses for their commitment to care. #HeartofGold #ENWeek #ENDay

Our Respiratory Therapists working in Respiratory Home Services received a "sweet" note from their leader this week to celebrate #RTWeek2020 How cute is this? Hmmm... I wonder why the corresponding treats didn't make it into the photo?

A Medical Device Reprocessing Department has five main areas of work: Decontamination, Assembly, Sterilization, Storage & Distribution and Endoscopy. Let's take a closer look at Decontamination... MDRD Assistant's must sort, disassemble, manually clean and inspect all instruments before they are cleaned in the automatic washer disinfector. Are YOU considering a career change? MDRD Technicians are in demand!

TIP: If you are meeting with your health care provider virtually, make sure you test the technology prior to your appointment. #ConquerSilence Canadian Patient Safety Institute

How can an Occupational Therapist help? - Maintain function so you can live independently or with minimal support; - Regain skills after an illness or injury; - Develop new skills when illness, disability or learning problems interfere with normal skills development; ... - Enable the person you're caring for to do as much as they can safely do for themselves. #otmonth

It's MDRD Week! Medical Device Reprocessing Department (MDRD) Assistants are a skilled group of staff that have vast knowledge of the instructions for assembly, disassembly, cleaning & sterilization of reusable medical instruments and devices. Our MDRD staff take pride in the strict reprocessing standards that they adhere to. THANK YOU for the important role that you play in providing safe patient care!... Watch for more posts this week that outline the important work of this team!

We're looking for a full-time Registered Nurse to join our Mobile Outreach Team and provide clinical assessment, care planning and intervention for older adults living with responsive behaviours; including assessment of dementia, cognitive impairment and delirium, mental health and addictions, physical assessment and the techniques of behavioural approach and evaluation within Elgin County and St. Thomas. Learn more: https://cho.tbe.taleo.net/cho//careers/v2/viewRequisition

Wishing you a safe and wonderful weekend, from all of us at STEGH.

900 apples sorted and ready to be distributed to our hospital staff today. Thank you, Great Lakes Farms for delivering the healthy treats for our hardworking teams.