Recovered COVID-19 patients in field hospital to be moved to Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare

People in Windsor-Essex who have recovered from COVID-19 inside the region's field hospital and still require care could be moved to Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) as early as next week.

CBC News has learned a transition plan is in the works between HDGH and Windsor Regional Hospital, which runs the 100-bed field hospital out of St. Clair College's Sportsplex. So far, that's where long-term care home residents with COVID-19 have been cared for by hospital staff.

Patients requiring additional care will be transferred to "designated wings" at HDGH on Prince Road, said vice-president of external affairs Bill Marra. And that will only happen if they've been tested twice for COVID-19 and those results come back negative both times.

"When you consider the impact of the COVID-19 virus on an individual, they can be very deconditioned. They're quite sick, those who are very, very ill and we've heard about a few cases here in Windsor-Essex," said Marra. 

"They'll require some complex medical care, rehabilitation, restorative care and that's clearly an area of expertise for us and that's clearly our role in the hospital system."

Windsor Regional Hospital chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad said he hoped to get test results back for some of the patients inside the field hospital this week.

The province didn't wanted recovered patients to immediately return to a long-term care setting over "concerns they could re-infect," he said.

"It creates a great sense of collaboration," said Saad, who admitted that when the field hospital first opened, there "wasn't really a good, strong exit strategy," like the one that's been created.

Due to the pandemic, HDGH opened up two areas to help care for the influx of patients they could receive from area acute-care hospitals. A total of 72 beds were added, and more than 300 patients have been accepted from other healthcare facilities to ease pressure on those hospitals.

In addition, each hospital system in Windsor-Essex has been assigned to several long-term care homes. HDGH is working with five such facilities to help swab patients and employees for COVID-19, as well as "recruiting employees to go assist" in those facilities, Marra said.

"It really speaks volumes around the collaborative nature of what's happening," said Marra, adding that the local health unit is involved with all of these initiatives.

Although the health crisis is far from over, HDGH has started having discussions around how its facility will operate post-COVID-19. Especially when it comes to maintaining care for patients experiencing issues unrelated to COVID-19, while trying to reinstate services that have been suspended due to the pandemic, he said.

"Transitioning toward creating a different operation and what does that look like," said Marra.