It’s been 365 days since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19.
Thursday, March 11 also marks exactly one year since the first Ontarian died from complications related to the virus and it happened right here in Barrie.
“You can imagine it really did strike a chord with us and it clearly shaped what I consider to be a very aggressive response to the pandemic,” Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) president and chief executive officer Janice Skot said during an interview with BarrieToday. “March 11 was so significant for us (and) that combination on that day certainly did get our attention.”
Like the rest of the world, Skot never could have predicted we would still be in the midst of the pandemic a full year later, but said the organization’s philosophy of “prepare for the worst and hope for the best” has gone a long way in guiding them through the past year.
“Right away we got into a pandemic plan and worked very hard to ensure we had PPE (personal protective equipment) for everyone in the organization so they felt safe and were safe," she said. "We also opened up a 70-bed pandemic response unit in the parking lot and created a critical care plan.
"In Wave 1, the government was identifying there was going to be a critical care crisis and therefore we more than doubled our critical-care capacity… and made sure we had the equipment, the renovations, etc., to make sure we were ready for that," Skot added.
The first wave of the pandemic, she noted, resulted in a tragic crisis for the long-term care homes in the province, and also led to RVH treating 230 COVID-19 patients in 2020 — and seeing the tragic deaths of 40 of those patients who had tested positive.
“We put a lot of pieces in place," Skot said. "Could we have anticipated a full year? In some ways yes and in some ways no. When we look at what we’ve been through in the past with SARS or H1N1, they didn’t have a length and a trajectory this long at all."
Skot says there is still so much that’s not known about COVID-19 and its mutations.
“We are already seeing variants of concern… so could I have predicted it? No and yes," she added.
Skot said there are still some very positive things that are happening to respond to the virus, including the development and approval of multiple vaccines in such a short time.
“Who would have thought in 2020 vaccines would start being released to be available in 2021. A normal trajectory for that development is much longer,” she said. “The fact that vaccines were going to be on site, and soon in larger quantities, is a very, very good news story.”
Having worked as a nurse for four years, Skot understands first-hand the toll working on the front lines can take on all hospital staff under normal circumstances. The last 12 months, she admits, were pretty much unprecedented.
“Imagine 12-hour shifts, continuous for a year, in total PPE in order to work is just in itself exhausting,” she said. “It’s been a tough year and we have to acknowledge that. It began last March with concerns and fear because there was so much unknown.”
Now that concern and fear have been replaced by the sheer exhaustion of a full 12 months working and taking care of patients in this environment, Skot said.
“I think it’s been tough on the entire team, and yet I have never been more impressed with the staff at RVH. I love this place and I am so proud of the work that everyone does," she added. "I have been so humbled by the strength, compassion and the resilience of this team. They have done incredible work.”
The last year has left staff at RVH exhausted, Skot acknowledged, noting the organization has created a number of programs to attempt to help staff. Since the beginning of the pandemic, she said, RVH has put added focus on the Caring For You committee — a resiliency committee she chairs with representatives from a variety of parts of the hospital.
“When you walk in the front, there’s a staff recognition wall to remind people that our patients, their families and the public are grateful for their work,” she said. “We also knew people were so tired and couldn’t congregate for a break like they would have previously, so we created safe break spaces for them.”
Videos from colleagues have also been shared among staff and the organization has created a significant amount of mental-health resources to help staff cope.
Skot is also chairing a virtual town hall meeting today. Staff and physicians have been invited to share their thoughts about the year of the pandemic, how they’ve coped, what they’ve learned, and what they’ve done in a new or different way.
“You think about the work staff do, particularly (on the) front line and physicians; they are first and foremost worried about their safety and the safety of their families," she said. "But I just cannot tell you how important it is that people know that their commitment and courage just never wavered.”
The community response and support has gone a long way to prop up staff over the last 12 months.
“People had food drives, dropped off items at the health centre, even a parade — all of that really helped because it was really inspiring to all of us," Skot said.
The vaccine has, however, allowed them to see some light at the end of a very dark tunnel, she noted.
“It’s been quite a year… and this is an opportunity to look back on the lessons that have been learned, which have been many,” Skot said. “We also need to stop and really say we struggled. We need to own that and identify that.”
Along with those struggles, however, came triumphs, many of which have been shared internally through staff discussion boards and videos created of front-line staff talking about how things have changed for them and what they’ve been doing to cope over the last year.
“There’s not been a textbook on how to be a hospital CEO in a pandemic. This has been one of the most challenging and unique years of my long career,” Skot admitted. “But, no one does this alone (and) the team that I have the privilege of working with has been outstanding.
"The patient care providers, the physicians, the nurses, the RTs (respiratory therapists), rehab staff, social workers, imaging and lab staff… are all very focused on the patients who are entrusted to our care," she added. "And that makes my job a little bit easier because I can focus on more of the strategic issues with the government and the region for our organization.
"It’s been a dark year, but I do see brighter days are ahead.”
