The province has enacted a temporary emergency order to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19.
The amendment happened under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and allows hospitals to transfer patients to either long-term care or retirement homes without obtaining consent of the patient or their substitute decision maker.
“The spread of COVID-19 variants continues to pose a significant threat to our health system’s critical care capacity and the lives of Ontarians,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While this is an extremely difficult decision to make, the consequences of not doing so could be devastating if we don’t have the hospital beds we urgently need to care for the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Building on the more than 3,400 beds that have been added to the system since the beginning of the pandemic, our government will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure Ontarians have a safe place to be cared for in our hospitals.”
Hospitals can only go to this step when the attending physician is satisfied that the patient will receive the care they require at the long-term care or retirement home.
At the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, officials confirm they will be receiving patient from outside of our region. They add the practice will not impact the ability of the facility to serve the people of Northwestern Ontario.
