Yanira Polanco’s mother, Yanira Rosa Gevara de Casco, was in the hospital for nine weeks with COVID-19. Two of those weeks were in a new rehabilitation unit reserved for patients who have the virus at Providence Healthcare.
“Not being able to see her was very difficult,” says Polanco. “But the staff at Providence were just outstanding. They were very kind and accommodating. We would call every day and receive reports on how she was doing. We felt supported from day one.”
Early in the pandemic, Providence identified the need to provide a rehabilitation unit for patients with COVID-19, says Shawn Brady, senior clinical program director of rehabilitation, complex continuing care and palliative care at Providence.
They created a ten-bed unit with a separate entrance, a separate staff area for documentation and personal protective equipment (PPE) storage, and a clustered care approach. This means that information or small tasks are consolidated to create less traffic in a room and to conserve PPE.
The unit works because staff were consulted during the design and their concerns were addressed. The team also did simulation runs before the first patients arrived.
This new unit has garnered attention from health-care facilities in Vancouver and Alberta expressing interest in replicating Providence’s success. There are only three other COVID-19 rehabilitation units in the country, says Brady.
“We recognized that in order to live our values at Unity Health Toronto, we needed to develop a way to provide rehab care to these individuals,” says Brady. “Many have been on a very long trajectory of illness with COVID, and many are quite ill on ventilators. We needed to provide them with a safe space to rehabilitate and a safe discharge home.”
Polanco appreciated the support that Providence provided, from day one to discharge.
“It is an emotional roller-coaster not to be there for your loved ones or to advocate for them,” Polanco says.
“The team at Providence understood that. Nobody made us feel like we were calling too much or we were getting in the way. Everyone was very, very supportive. I think that’s what makes a difference when you’re not able to be there. We are very grateful.”
Christy Janssens is a communications intern at Unity Health Toronto. A leader in providing rehabilitation, palliative care, long-term care and community programs in Toronto, Scarborough’s Providence Healthcare is part of a health network with St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital.
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