Joseph Brant Hospital Ramping Down Non-Urgent Surgical Care Starting April 12

Burlington, ON – Joseph Brant Hospital is ramping down and postponing all non-urgent pre-scheduled surgeries and procedures effective Monday, April 12 in response to significant pressure on critical care bed capacity across the province. This decision follows the direction of Ontario Health.

Patients who have a scheduled procedure are being contacted directly by their care provider to confirm the status of their procedure, and are asked not to call the hospital. JBH is prioritizing cases based on the hospital’s patient-centered philosophy and ethical framework to ensure that non-deferrable, urgent activity is still completed and that the effects on patient outcomes are minimized.

“Creating this additional inpatient capacity will help address the immediate needs of Ontario’s healthcare system at this critical time. We understand the impact that this will have on our patients and their families, as well as on our staff and physicians,” says Eric Vandewall, President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital.

“We will be continuously monitoring this rapidly evolving situation and will resume the scheduling of surgery and other procedures as soon as safely possible and in alignment with Ontario Health. I would like to thank our community for their continued understanding and cooperation.”

There are no other changes to current services at JBH at this time. JBH will continue to leverage virtual care technology for appointments, while providing on-site services based on need. The Halton Region Vaccination Clinic continues to provide COVID-19 immunization to eligible adults and the COVID-19 Assessment Centre is providing ongoing testing – both services by appointment only.

The hospital is also safe to provide emergency medical care and to allow access to essential care partners (ECPs) who are supporting patients under exceptional circumstances (one ECP permitted per visit). JBH adheres to the strictest infection prevention and control (IPAC) procedures, including entrance screening, environmental cleaning, PPE protocols as well as thorough disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment.