Hospitals in Renfrew County are aligning with others in the region to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for visitors, essential caregivers and/or care partners starting October 15th.
The policy has been developed in consultation with the Renfrew County and District Health Unit and does not apply to those long-term care homes affiliated with hospitals in the region.
When the policy comes into effect, those who are not fully vaccinated will not be permitted to enter the hospitals unless they qualify under a limited number of exceptions.
The public will be asked to visit the hospital websites to see if they qualify under outlined exceptions for a specific facility.
While the move to mandatory vaccination will now cover members of the health care team and those coming into hospitals in a visitor or caregiver/care partner capacity, all hospitals want to reassure residents that, regardless of vaccination status, no one will be denied care or service.
Pembroke Regional Hospital President and CEO Pierre Noel says they recognize the difficulty this may pose for some individuals, however, given the transmission risk of the Delta variant in particular, it’s a step hospitals are taking in order to help ensure the safety of those in our care and in our buildings.
President and CEO of Renfrew Victoria Hospital (RVH) and St. Francis Memorial Hospital Julia Boudreau says throughout the pandemic, we have worked with our regional partners to align many policies and practices. She adds they also recognize that many patients and families travel between the hospitals in our region and feel it’s important that visiting policies be as consistent as possible so when visitors arrive at any facility, they will know what to expect.
President and CEO of Deep River and District Hospital Janna Hotson says as health care workers continue to work incredibly hard to care for their communities, hospitals across the province are implementing measures such as mandatory visitor vaccination policies to protect our health care workforce and enhance the safety of all those who work in and visit hospitals.
Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) President and CEO Eric Hanna says their focus is to do everything possible to provide a safe and healthy environment, adding this new policy aligns with the provincial vaccination certificate program and builds on our mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for staff, physicians, students and volunteers that was put in place in early September.