MEDIA RELEASE April 8, 2020
Respiratory clinic for region ready if necessary qathet Regional District, B.C. – The Powell River COVID-19 Physician’s Steering Committee, with the support of Vancouver Coastal Health and the Regional Emergency Operations Centre, has created a respiratory clinic in Powell River at the Recreation Complex. The clinic will only be for people who have received a referral by a doctor or nurse practitioner. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
The clinic is not open yet but has been created to ensure we are prepared and will be opened if needed. The clinic will provide a space outside the emergency department where doctors can see patients that need a lung assessment. These patients may have mild to moderate respiratory symptoms that cannot be properly treated over the phone and would be hard to assess in the traditional doctors’ office. Before calling a doctor’s office, residents are urged to use the COVID-19 BC Support App and Self-Assessment Tool.
The Respiratory Clinic is a measure to limit the number of people that have to go to the emergency department at Powell River General Hospital and reduce the risk of potentially spreading the infection.
The clinic will be specifically equipped and have trained staff ready to respond. In addition, there will be strict safety precautions, such as a carefully controlled patient flows, controlled airflows, decontamination between patients and minimised “touch points”.
The COVID-19 situation is being actively monitored. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 please visit qathet.ca.
CONTACT:
Ryan Thoms,
Manager of Emergency Services
#105, 4675 Marine Avenue
Powell River, BC V8A 2L2
(604) 485-2260
rthoms@qathet.ca