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“We want our patients to feel comfortable asking questions and taking an active role during any kind of appointment,” says Jennifer Yoon, Senior Director of Professional Practice, Quality & Patient Safety at Humber River Hospital. “Virtual appointments are new to many patients, but we want them to feel just as confident in their care as they would during an in-person appointment.”

To get the most of your virtual appointment:

• Become comfortable with the technology before your appointment. At least 10 minutes before your appointment starts, find a comfortable set up in front of your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Then once your appointment starts, stay in front of the camera and speak clearly.
• Arrive at your virtual appointment organized. It might help to write out some lists ahead of time including any symptoms, allergies, medications, vitamins, treatments or past procedures, and of course any questions you want to ask.
• Feel comfortable asking your healthcare provider for their name, role, and where they are located if you don’t already know.
• If you have a family member or friend joining you for your virtual appointment, introduce them to your healthcare provider.
• Explain any symptoms you are having clearly, and describe how you are managing those symptoms.
• Ask your healthcare provider for their opinion and recommendations.
• Ask about follow up plans, and ask what to do if your symptoms do not improve or get worse.

For anyone looking to learn more, Jennifer recommends visiting the website for additional resources and information.

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When COVID cases in the GTA dipped in the warmer months, testing levels remained high. So we (virtually) sat down with Chantal, one of our amazing Medical Laboratory Technologists, to learn more about the team that has been working non-stop since March 2020.

“Our team has been hard at work since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Chantal. “I’m so proud that we are pushing through every day.”

Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Chantal and I’m a Medical Laboratory Technologist at Humber River Hospital, specialized in microbiology. I’ve worked in our lab since the Wilson Site opened five years ago.

What does the lab do?

A lot of what we do in the lab involves identifying bacteria that could be causing a problem for our patients, so that the Hospital can diagnose and treat them.

During the pandemic, we have started processing a lot of COVID tests, which has been an adjustment from microbiology because viruses are much smaller than bacteria – we’re used to being able to see what we’re working with!

What makes you proud of your team in the lab?

Our team has been hard at work since the beginning of the pandemic. We have trained a bunch of new staff – including staff from other departments – to keep up with demand, and the work has still been non-stop.

I’m so proud that we are pushing through every day. Everyone is working collaboratively and even though there are moments when we are overwhelmed, we are getting it done together.

How does the second wave of COVID-19 feel different from the first wave?

During the first wave, we didn’t know what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty. We didn’t know exactly what role our lab would play in testing and we were worried about things like having enough Personal Protective Equipment.

We’re in a routine now, so as far as testing goes for the second wave, we have a handle on this. Teams from across the Hospital are working together so that the whole testing process runs smoothly. COVID testing has been a lot of work and we have been busy since the pandemic started, so seeing the numbers rising again is still disappointing. We are bracing ourselves.

“A lot of what we do in the lab involves identifying bacteria that could be causing a problem for our patients, so that the Hospital can diagnose and treat them.”

During the first wave, our donors funded three new testing machines. What does having those machines mean for our Hospital?

Labs across the province are trying to process a massive number of tests right now, so the more tests we can run in-house the better.

The new testing machines are allowing us to test patients before they have surgery at Humber, onsite, at a fraction of the time it would take to send them out. The increased throughput from the machines and the hard work of our lab means that our patients and their healthcare teams can have the peace of mind that they are going into surgery safely.

Our lab is also processing the tests of inpatients and patients who are admitted through Humber’s Apotex Emergency Department. Testing in-house means we can rule out COVID faster for these patients, which helps the Hospital provide better care.

In your opinion, what is the coolest way technology is being used at Humber River Hospital?

When the opened, we saw a big difference in how aggregating data from across the Hospital in a central “mission control” could help better manage patient flow. For example, if a patient is waiting on a test result from the lab to be discharged from the Hospital, the Command Centre can identify that step and we make it happen.

Also, we have some really cool equipment in the lab! One of our machines can identify bacteria in only a few minutes using a laser beam. The laser aerosolizes the protein in the bacteria, which flies up a vacuum in a unique pattern. A detector makes a graph of that pattern and compares it to a whole database of graphs to identify the bacteria.

The evolution of microbiology is amazing. We are using lasers and computers to identify things in minutes that used to take days to identify – and that means faster, better patient care.

What inspires you?

I have always loved science, microbiology, and the excitement of opening a Petri dish to discover what’s inside. I find our hands-on work in the lab so interesting, but ultimately I got into healthcare to help people. Knowing that the work I love is helping people is very rewarding.

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Here are 5 ways Humber River Hospital is designed to prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19:

87 rooms at Humber River Hospital can become negative pressure, like this one in the ICU.

Negative Pressure Rooms

Patients thought to be contagious are treated in “negative pressure rooms”. In a , air flows in from the hallway. So, if someone is coughing inside the room, none of their germs are going to flow out to other rooms or common spaces because of the direction the air is blowing. Anyone in the room will be properly garbed in a gown, gloves, and a mask with face protection, and outgoing air is sent right out to the roof, away from people.

87 rooms at Humber River Hospital can become negative pressure, there are negative pressure rooms in every department, and the Hospital is capable of isolating entire departments under negative pressure!

Decontamination Rooms

Many negative pressure rooms at Humber River Hospital have adjacent decontamination rooms, which lowers the risk of contamination when staff move between rooms. This is where staff follow protocol for removal of personal protection equipment.

Hazmat Rooms

Patients who arrive by ambulance can be placed into a system of isolation from the moment they arrive, starting with the hazmat entrance and room. This room contains a shower and has no soft products in it, so everything is easier to clean and disinfect. Removed from the general hospital population, properly outfitted nurses and doctors can use the hazmat room to assess whether a patient needs to be moved into a negative pressure room close by in the Apotex Emergency Department, or to one of the other negative pressure rooms in the Hospital.

This room in Humber River Hospital’s Apotex Emergency Department can quickly become negative pressure.

Fresh Air

Humber River Hospital is filled with fresh air. Rather than recirculating the same air around the Hospital, old air is pushed out and replaced with fresh air from outside, which helps with infection control.

Convertible Ambulance Bay / Pandemic Centre

Fortunately, the final infection control feature on this list was not necessary during the first wave of the coronavirus. Humber River Hospital’s ambulance bay, which holds up to eight ambulances, . The ambulance bay is outfitted for showers, if needed, and has water containment units underneath the floor. This means that if the garage is being used as a pandemic centre, potentially contaminated wastewater can be kept away from the rest of the Hospital’s water system.

WATCH NOW – Dr. Leon Rivlin on Global News: 

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The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

Our healthcare needs during the pandemic are constantly changing and to this fund continue to give Humber River Hospital the ability to respond without delay, ensuring the safety of our patients and frontline healthcare workers.

Your donations, which were matched by the Krawczyk Family Foundation and the Nanji Family Foundation have helped purchase life-saving equipment like ventilators, cardiac monitors, and protective equipment for our staff. We also purchased three brand new COVID-19 rapid testing machines for Humber River Hospital, so our team can:

• Reduce wait times for patients to receive results by running up to 210 tests each day, right at the Hospital with results coming back in 75 minutes. Currently, Humber is referring tests to Toronto Public Health Labs and other labs where the turnaround time is 1-6 days.
• Prioritize “stat” patients and frontline staff testing. For frontline staff, having results in 75 minutes eliminates the need to self-isolate for days until results return. If negative, staff will be able to continue working in a healthcare system that is relying on them to care for patients.
• Increase access to care for the community by rapidly testing patients and staff when other areas such as surgery and clinics re-open for service.

The Humber Frontline Support Fund

We created the Humber Frontline Support Fund to alleviate some of the stress felt by our healthcare teams during these unprecedented times. Every Gift of Gratitude designated to COVID-19 has helped put a smile on our team’s face – and your gifts were matched by the Krawczyk Family Foundation! Over the past few months, our frontline has been showered with love in the form of special surprises including:

• 14,254 meals and treats for frontline workers
• 8,952 pieces of casual clothing and footwear helping frontline teams keep rigorous sanitization routines before and after each shift
• 850 free rides for our Humber family so they can avoid exposure on public transit and get home to their families faster than before

(Psst! We started the Humber Frontline Support Fund as a way to put a smile on the faces of our frontline, in recognition of the tremendous personal sacrifices they have made for all of us during the pandemic. When this is all over, we can’t think of a better way to carry on the spirit of the fund than to give them the gift of a brighter future. Stay tuned for details this Fall on a brand new Humber Frontline Education Fund that will be funded in part by your donation, extending your support further in a way that will help our frontline be stronger for years to come.)

Personal Protective Equipment

At the beginning of the pandemic, many Hospitals including ours had concerns about potential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortages. To our amazement, our community donated over 433,000 pieces of PPE, including N95 masks, surgical masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields to help keep our front line workers safe as they continue to care for patients.

While we don’t know what this pandemic will bring next, we do know it will be a fair fight with you by our side. Click here to learn more about how you can help. Thank you for your continued support as we save lives and look forward to a brighter future.

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“We have always said he is a fighter,” says Gisella, whose father Bruno is recovering at Humber River Hospital after contracting COVID-19.

“Finally, he picked up on the last ring,” she remembers. “He was breathless and wheezing after every word. I told him to rest and that I would call him back, but I was scared. Everything was shutting down because of COVID-19 and I started to worry that he had it.”

When she called him back later there was no answer. Gisella rushed to her father’s home and started banging on the door. When he opened the door, she was shocked.

“He was wheezing, and so pale and confused like he didn’t recognize me,” says Gisella. “I was wearing my mask and gloves. I asked him to put a mask on for me and filled out the online self-assessment test. It told me to call 911.”

The paramedics took Bruno to Humber River Hospital. Medical Imaging showed a lot of damage to his lungs. He was quickly deteriorating and that night, he was put on a ventilator in Humber’s Intensive Care Unit.

Bruno was given a , where air flows in from the hallway. This stops any virus particles inside the room from flowing out to other rooms or common spaces because of the direction the air is blowing.

Bruno was given a negative pressure room, where air flows in from the hallway. This stops any virus particles inside the room from flowing out to other rooms or common spaces because of the direction the air is blowing.

“Humber has shown us they really understand how important it is for our family to connect with our dad,” says Gisella. “The first time his nurse Anna set up a video call for us, it was so emotional to see him.”

Even though he wasn’t awake, Gisella and her family were comforted at the thought that Bruno could hear their voices and words of encouragement. They developed a routine with his care team where his nurses would set up the video chat and leave the room so that they could have time alone with him, and one nurse JC started calling the family ahead of time, an extra step that made Bruno’s family feel extra cared for.

Gisella decided she wanted to give back to the Hospital, and has started Trash for Treasure – a fundraising campaign that involves her picking up garbage along the Humber Recreational Trail. In her first three weeks, Gisella raised $5,000 for the Humber Frontline Support Fund and had picked up 50 bags of garbage. And, when she learned that her gift was matched by the Krawczyk Family Foundation, she pledged to pick up another 50 bags.

“I am so grateful that so many people in my life have donated,” says Gisella, who has felt a strong connection to nature from a young age. “It means a lot to me that I have a way to give back to the Hospital and to the planet at the same time.”

Gisella decided she wanted to give back to the Hospital, and has started Trash for Treasure – a fundraising campaign that involves her picking up garbage along the Humber Recreational Trail

At the end of May, after two months of being on a ventilator, Bruno was taken off his ventilator to breathe on his own. In the weeks since then, he has improved enough that Humber has moved him from the ICU to a regular inpatient room to continue his recovery.

“We have always said he is a fighter,” says Gisella. “He’s doing so much better but we are really looking forward to the day he gets to go home.”

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Our current healthcare needs are rapidly changing. Donate to Humber’s , and help keep our Hospital ready for anything the coronavirus might bring.

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These are some of the amazing fundraisers that are helping us in the fight against the coronavirus:

George and Andrea: Empties For Good

George and Andrea started a bottle drive in support of Humber’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund in their home driveway. Their initiative quickly grew when they were donated a storage unit from on Wilson Avenue. In one month they collected more than 28,000 empty bottles for Humber River Hospital’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund!

The Beer Store

After the success of Empties for Good, The Beer Store was fundraising for Humber River Hospital. Nine Beer Store locations have stepped up to continue the work that George and Andrea started.

(Psst! This bottle drive is still going until September 7^th, 2020. If you’d like to donate your empties in support of Humber River Hospital please visit one of the following locations: 323 Symington Ave, 529 Oakwood Ave, 1718 Wilson Ave, 1735 Kipling Ave, 250 Wincott Dr, 2568 Finch Ave W, 2005 Finch Ave W, 2625A Weston Rd, and 81 Billy Bishop)

Gisella: Trash for Treasure

After Gisella’s father contracted COVID-19 in March, he spent two months on a ventilator in Humber’s Intensive Care Unit. He is now breathing on his own as he continues his recovery at Humber River Hospital. As a way to say thank you to the healthcare team caring for her dad, Gisella started Trash for Treasure. For every $100 donated to her , Gisella picks up a bag of garbage along the Humber River Recreational Trail. She has already picked up over 50 bags of garbage in support of the Humber Frontline Support Fund, and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down!

Jon: Local McDonald’s Restaurants Owner

Jon is a local McDonald’s franchise owner in the same neighbourhood as Humber River Hospital, so when COVID-19 hit he knew he wanted to give back to the frontline workers in his community. In addition to generously donating over 600 McDonald’s breakfasts to the teams at the Church and Finch Reactivation Care Centres, Jon has also fundraised at his restaurants, asking Drive Thru customers to donate $1.00 to the Humber Frontline Support Fund during May and June.

John and Carson: Fundraiser for Personal Protective Equipment

Two students from Upper Canada College, John & Carson, were inspired to start a fundraiser to help raise funds for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Humber River Hospital after learning about the PPE shortage. They worked hard to spread awareness through their friends and family and reached their fundraising goal! Their victory caught the attention of Brian Bowes from Raymond James, who generously stepped in and matched their donation for double the impact!

Personal Fundraising Pages

Between April to June, we were honoured to see 20 new set up! This included fundraisers for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, the Humber Frontline Support Fund, and In Memory pages raising funds for the Hospital in honour of the passing of a loved one. Many of you even surpassed your fundraising goals, like who fundraised for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund in honour of her brother and sister-in-law who are  first responders.

The post Local Heroes: Your Fundraisers Are Helping Us Fight COVID-19 appeared first on Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation.

“I wouldn’t wish COVID on anyone, but my experience at Humber has reaffirmed my faith in our frontline workers,” says Joanna.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” remembers Joanna. “I felt lethargic and had some shortness of breath.”

She contacted Toronto Public Health and was told that while she didn’t have enough symptoms to get tested based on requirements at that time, she should monitor her symptoms and quarantine for 14 days. Over the next two weeks Joanna’s shortness of breath worsened. She called Toronto Public Health and reported her symptoms again.

“This time, they called me back at 5:00am and said to get to the nearest hospital right away,” says Joanna. “It was frightening – we had started hearing about people dying – and I had to do it all alone.”

Joanna drove herself to Humber River Hospital’s Apotex Emergency Department. She had already considered Humber “her Hospital” for years – but she was blown away by the care she received when she arrived.

“The Emergency Department ran like clockwork,” she says. “From the moment I entered I was treated with care. The triage nurse took my health card, gave me a mask, and I was triaged immediately. Then I was brought to my own room.”

Joanna was brought to a , a design feature in Humber’s Emergency Department which allows for potentially contagious patients to be placed in a system of isolation, removed from public waiting area. The room contains a shower and has no soft products in it, so everything is easier to clean and disinfect.

“From outside my room, my doctor explained everything that was going to happen. I had done on my lungs, an electrocardiogram, and finally the swab,” Joanna says. “The only person who fully entered the room was my nurse, who was covered in Personal Protective Equipment. It was so well orchestrated, like a well-oiled machine.”

Joanna was well enough to leave and was discharged to continue quarantine at home. Three days later, she received her results promptly through the My Humber Health portal, confirming what she had suspected: She had tested positive for COVID-19. Joanna found it emotionally challenging to be home alone for weeks, without contact with anyone. And she wasn’t physically getting any better. Her mother would drop off food and leave right away.

“I took a turn for the worse one day,” says Joanna. “My heart rate skyrocketed. I thought I was having a heart attack.”

Joanna called an ambulance and they brought her back to Humber. She was brought to the same hazmat room as before.

“They were incredibly thorough and did all kinds of tests – I counted 37 tests on My Humber Health portal,” says Joanna. “And just like the first time, the team in the Emergency Department was so compassionate. I was so frightened but the way I was treated made all the difference. I really want to thank the paramedics, doctors, nurses, and technologists who cared for me.”

This time, to Joanna’s relief, she tested negative for the coronavirus.

Weeks later, Joanna has cautiously started having socially-distanced visits with her family again, but is still experiencing long-lasting effects of the virus.

“My heart rate hasn’t gone back to normal and goes from one extreme to another when I’m doing dishes,” she says. “I wouldn’t wish COVID on anyone, but my experience at Humber has reaffirmed my faith in our frontline workers. I received so much compassion and empathy – I can tell they truly love what they do.”

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Our current healthcare needs are rapidly changing. Donate to Humber’s , and help keep our Hospital ready for anything the coronavirus might bring.

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The new testing machines will run up to 210 tests each day at Humber River Hospital, with results coming back in 75 minutes.

We are beyond grateful to share that our community has come together to answer the call for enhanced COVID-19 testing.  Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have raised $233,000 in three short weeks to purchase and operate three brand new COVID-19 rapid testing machines for Humber River Hospital.

These machines will be put to use right away at Humber to detect this deadly virus in patients now, but will also be vitally important as services in the hospital re-open and rapid testing must be done to keep patients and staff safe.

With these new King Fisher Duo Prime Instruments, the team at Humber will be able to:

• Reduce wait times for patients to receive results by running up to 210 tests each day, right at the Hospital with results coming back in 75 minutes. Currently, Humber is referring tests to Toronto Public Health Labs and other labs where the turnaround time is 1-6 days.
• Prioritize “stat” patients and frontline staff testing. For frontline staff, having results in 75 minutes eliminates the need to self-isolate for days until results return. If negative, staff will be able to continue working in a healthcare system that is relying on them to care for patients.
• Increase access to care for the community by rapidly testing patients and staff when other areas such as surgery and clinics re-open for service.

“I would like to thank our donors for providing the funds to purchase these instruments,” states Dr. William Dubinski, Chief of Pathology and Medical Lab Director, Humber River Hospital.  “Because of their generosity, we can expand our testing capacity and ramp up procedures and surgeries that have been delayed until this point.”

These amazing fundraising results were made possible thanks to a generous gift match challenge launched by Upper Crust who pledged to match every gift made up to $100,000 for a total of $200,000 for the new machines. The cause resonated with many of their staff and partners who made generous donations and also with many community members, who, through major gifts, helped to not only reach the Upper Crust gift match, but surpass it.

“I’ve proudly been a Board Member of Humber River Hospital Foundation for several years, helping to serve the community in which our team at Upper Crust lives and works,” states Carmela Serebryany, President of Upper Crust.  “As the battle against the coronavirus pandemic rages on, our team knew we wanted to support our Hospital and help people access important healthcare services such as surgeries and clinic appointments when the Hospital re-opens.  Rapid testing will help make that possible and I thank all our team members, suppliers and friends for their donations.”

The generosity continued last week when the team at IC Savings announced their lead gift of $60,000 in response to the gift match. The credit union is a long-time supporter of Humber, having pledged $1 million in 2012 to the hospital’s building campaign and president and CEO Fausto Gaudio also served as the campaign chair.

“Humber has been part of our shared community for decades and we are proud to lend our support to a hospital that has always been there for us and our members,” states Fausto Gaudio, President and CEO, IC Savings.  “We stand in solidarity with the frontline teams who have been battling this pandemic for months. It is our hope that this expanded testing will help in their fight.”

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