Ontario Government to Distribute COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests To Peterborough

The Ontario Government is distributing COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at several locations in Peterborough over the next few weeks to increase access to publicly funded testing announced Wednesday.

A rapid antigen test displaying a negative COVID-19 reading. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Rapid antigen tests provide results in 15-20 minutes after administering the test. Rapid antigen testing is used for screening purposes only and should not be used for diagnosing someone with symptoms or exposure to COVID-19.

A positive result from a rapid antigen test needs to be followed up with a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, which is administered through the Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre or a participating pharmacy then sent to a lab for processing, to confirm the person has COVID-19.

The Ontario Government is distributing rapid antigen tests in Peterborough over the next several weeks at the following locations:

• Peterborough Farmers’ Market, Morrow Building, 151 Lansdowne St. W. – 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18, and 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sat, Jan. 8

• Lansdowne Place, 645 Lansdowne St. W. – Dec. 21 to Thu., Dec. 23, 2021 (hours to be determined)

• Peterborough Memorial Centre, 151 Lansdowne St. W. – 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sat., Dec. 18 and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Dec. 27

• Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. N. – Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

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Dragon Boat Festival Raises Over $90,000 For PRHC Breast Assessment Centre

The fight against breast cancer takes another step forward as Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival members donated $91,853.20 to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation at Peterborough Square on Thursday.

To date, the festival has raised more than $3.7 million for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment through the PRHC Foundation. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The money is towards a diagnostic ultrasound machine for the Breast Assessment Centre at the PRHC which Dragon Boat Festival had raised money for in their first-ever campaign. It will aid in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

The target goal was $84,509.18, a specific figure that was quickly addressed by Gina Lee, 2021 festival chair.

“We also realized that we have come full circle and to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we decided our goal would be to match the $84,509.18 donation we made to the PRHC Foundation 20 years ago when we were first starting out,” she said.

Volunteers from Survivors Abreast, the Dragon Boat Festival organizing committee, PRHC reps and sponsors were in attendance to unveil the final amount raised.

This year’s event was run virtually where teams were challenged to hold virtual races online. Points were awarded to individuals and teams for participation, fundraising and video or photo submissions.

The number of cancer treatment patients from Peterborough and the surrounding area is trending upward every year. 

“The hospital’s mission to provide world-class cancer care, close to home, remains as important as ever. So the support of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival and our community is vital,” said Lesley Heighway, PRHC President and CEO. “This state-of-the-art equipment will provide better quality images so radiologists can detect smaller, difficult-to-see breast abnormalities quickly and accurately. This will help save lives.”

Survivors Abreast is the festival host team and is overjoyed of the Festival’s impact on the PRHC.

“Our goals remain the same,” said Marg Walsh, Survivors Abreast President. “To raise funds for the best cancer care in our community, to raise awareness about breast cancer and to encourage participation in the festival. None of this would be possible without the generous spirit of giving in our community and the joint efforts of our sponsors, volunteers, enthusiastic paddlers and donors.”

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Smile Cookie Campaign Supports Peterborough Regional Health Centre For Mental Health

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign will support mental health care that will leave no frowns for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) announced on Thursday.

Staff and Tim Hortons owners lined up outside the main entrance at PHRC with Smile cookies and signs. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Staff and Tim Hortons owners gathered outside the PHRC main entrance to make the announcement during Tim Hortons’ 25th anniversary of the Smile Cookie Campaign.

The annual fundraiser will run from Sept. 13-19 where the "Smile” cookies can be bought for one dollar apiece where all proceeds will go to the PHRC Foundation and mental health care.

You can purchase them in-store or by online pre-order by visiting PRHC’s website, printing the form and dropping it off at a participating Tim Hortons location.

Ryan Graham, Tim Hortons owner says the Smile Cookie campaign is a great way for their stores and customers to give back to their communities.

“Over the past 25 years, the Smile Cookie campaign has raised more than $60 million for charities, hospitals and community programs across the country - with a record-breaking $110 million in 2020, he said. “We believe it’s never been more important to make sure that people in our communities have access to these services close to home.

Melinda Wall (left) has been the director of mental health services since Jan. 2019. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Melinda Wall, PHRC director of mental health services expressed her happiness that mental health is being taken more seriously than it was in years past.

"Ten to 20 years ago, you wouldn't have seen a large campaign of this scale for mental health and addictions,” she said. “I think we have come leaps and bounds and are continuing to progress and just making it more something people can talk about and feel like we can rally behind and support our community."

The money will go towards several projects to help expand mental health services since there has been a spike in mental health patient admissions during the last decade according to Wall.

“One of the projects being key is our Crisis Unit,” she explained. “We are doubled in volume in the last 10 years and the space needs to be expanded. That's our number one campaign and additional outdoor space through our courtyard for our patient unit."

Leslie Heighway has been president and CEO for the PRHC Foundation for almost a decade. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President and CEO said she was honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Tim Hortons fundraiser.

"We're just so thrilled. You can see the amount of engagement there is today with all of our team members with mental health services and all of the Tim Hortons owners,” she explained. “We couldn't be happier that we're going to invest these funds in PRHC and mental health in particular."

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GoFundMe To Help Grieving Family of International Fleming Student

A GoFundMe has been started for Lakshay Sehdev, a security guard at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and a former Fleming College student after his unexpected passing.

Photo courtesy of Savita.

The money raised will help to cover the costs of transporting his body to India, his last ritual expenses and repay his student loans.

The 26-year old came from India to Peterborough to attend Fleming where he took part in the Sustainable Agriculture program and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics program.

He began working at PRHC as a security guard in 2020 during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sehdev collapsed while at work on Aug. 2. Doctors pronounced him dead later that morning after he suffered from cardiac arrest.

“I just want to tell everyone he was a very funny person, he could make friends in minutes,” said Savita, Sehdev’s girlfriend. “Even the Tim Hortons girls were always giving him free donuts. Everyone loved him he was just that kind of person.”

Friend and fundraising organizer Inderpreet Singh Bhasin says Sehdev was a cheerful and happy soul who never missed an opportunity to make anyone's day better. He says Sehdev always kept others first and himself second.

Sehdev had celebrated his 26th birthday a few weeks before his passing and gotten a new car as a gift to himself.

Photo courtesy of Savita.

Savita says Sehdev was the oldest of two and took care of his family even while in Canada.

Sehdev will be transported home to India on Friday.

To donate to the Sehdev family click here.

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Ontario Invests $4.5 Million to Support Peterborough Regional Health Centre

Peterborough Regional Health Centre will receive $4,525,000 to support ongoing operational needs and support specific services after a Zoom meeting Wednesday.

File Photo.

MPP Dave Smith and PRHC senior executives were in attendance to make the funding announcement.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus continues to be on addressing hallway health care. Increasing operational budgets and strategic investments continue to accompany our transformational reforms to how we deliver health care in Ontario,” said Smith. “One person receiving health care in a hallway is one too many. We will move forward with our efforts to end hallway medicine by putting the patient at the centre of care.”

The 2021 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protecting People's Health and Our Economy, outlined a total of $1.8 billion in additional investments for hospitals in 2021-22. This includes an increase of $778 million in operating funding to meet current and future demands for services.

Additional support for hospitals as part of Ontario’s Action Plan includes $760 million to help hospitals continue to respond to COVID 19 and an additional $300 million to reduce surgical backlogs.

“This investment will provide much-needed support to PRHC in its dual role as a community hospital and a regional hub for a growing number of patients in the surrounding communities,” said Brenda Weir, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at PRHC. “As Ontario’s healthcare sector continues to face challenging and uncertain times in the months and years ahead, ongoing provincial support will be critical to ensuring we are positioned for continued success as we provide excellent care for the patients and families we serve.”

Through the 2021-22 hospital allocations, the government will provide each hospital with increases to their operating budgets as well as targeted funding towards key priorities. Initiatives include:

• Funding to recognize growth in the hospital sector as well as targeted funding towards key ministry priorities

• Additional funding for priority services in eligible hospitals to cover increasing volumes related to cancer, renal, cardiac, neuro-services, and stroke, as well as hip and knee surgeries and MRI scans

• Funding to Ontario Health-Cancer Care Ontario for cancer and renal treatment services in hospitals.

• Funding to eight hospitals to support lease costs associated with off-site dialysis units and align funding responsibility for all community-based off-site dialysis units.

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Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) To Ramp Down Non-Urgent Care in Response to Provincial Critical Care Surge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Saturday, April 10, 2021
MEDIA RELEASE from PRHC…

Hospital moving to double its normal ICU capacity following Ontario Health directive

Peterborough, ON – As critical care patient volumes surge across the province, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) will join hospitals across Ontario in ramping down non-urgent care beginning Monday, April 12, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., following direction received from Ontario Health (OH).

The hospital will continue to provide all life-saving services and care, and our Emergency Department will continue to operate as usual. Patients who are currently admitted to the hospital for inpatient care will not be affected.

We are in the process of contacting patients/families whose non-urgent surgery, procedure or test will be postponed as a result of the ramp-down. If you have an appointment booked and you are not contacted, please assume it will proceed as scheduled.

Up until now, PRHC has been working hard to maintain non-urgent surgeries, procedures and tests at or above 100 per cent of our normal patient volumes to help address backlogs from the previous non-urgent care ramp-down last spring.

We have also accepted more than 30 patient transfers from outside the region over the last three (3) months to support the system-wide response to the pandemic.

As a partner within the provincial healthcare system, PRHC is prepared to provide our support in any way possible to ensure that patients across Ontario are able to access the care they need. We are in the process of increasing our critical care (ICU) beds to a total of 48 in anticipation of additional patient transfers and higher patient volumes, and will redirect hospital resources as needed to support the necessary level of care for these patients.

“Last March, when we first ramped down non-urgent care, the anticipated wave of critically-ill patients did not materialize at PRHC, in large part due to the effort our community made to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, Chief Medical Executive and Chief of Staff at PRHC. “Today the situation is very different. The third wave has already surpassed anything we’ve faced previously, and we have not yet reached its peak. We have every expectation that every staff member, physician, and physical space at PRHC will be needed to meet the demands of this wave of the pandemic. I urge the people of our community to follow the provincial stay-at-home order and all Public Health guidelines while the team at PRHC makes significant moves to support patients across Ontario while continuing to meet the needs of our community by providing life-saving care.”

While PRHC’s goal is to keep the disruption to non-urgent care as short and as limited as possible, our priority at this time is to create immediate, maximum capacity for critical care.

PRHC’s current family presence/essential caregiver policy is not changing at this time as a result of the Ontario Health directive. A limited number of designated, registered caregivers will continue to be permitted for specific patient groups. Learn more about PRHC’s current visitor policy here.

All enhanced pandemic measures remain in effect at PRHC. Patients who require hospital-level care should continue to come to PRHC or call 911.

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PRHC Receives Very First Shipment Of 5,850 Doses Of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has announced they have received their first shipment of 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic will ramp up this week, administering the vaccine to long-term care home employees and essential caregivers, community paramedics and highest-risk hospital healthcare workers—all of whom have been designated as immediate-priority populations by the Province of Ontario.

Photo courtesy PRHC

Between Wednesday, February 24th and Sunday, February 28th, we expect to be able to offer up to 2,500 vaccination appointments for these populations.

“Healthcare workers and first responders in our community have shown, and continue to show, an incredible amount of resilience and teamwork throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are thrilled to have this vaccine available for them,” says Dr. Lynn Mikula, EVP, Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Executive at PRHC.

"It's exciting to see our local vaccination rollout program gain traction with increasing supply so we can immunize high-priority groups," says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. "This will help us start to build a ring of protection around our most vulnerable residents – a critical goal as variants of concern arrive in our community."

Staffed by hospital RNs and RPNs as well as physicians from PRHC and the Peterborough community, once up and running at full capacity, PRHC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic will offer up to 700 vaccination appointments daily, seven (7) days a week, based on ongoing supply and demand.

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Otonabee Conservation & TD Collaborate With PRHC To Plant Trees In Honour Of Frontline Healthcare Workers

On Wednesday (October 21st), 78 native trees and shrubs were planted near the staff entrance at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). TD provided funding for the planting, as part of their commitment to supporting those who are most impacted by COVID-19. The City of Peterborough generously supported the planting by providing compost and mulch to promote tree health and growth.

The native species planted included white spruce (which provides excellent shelter for wildlife) and fragrant sumac (a drought-tolerant shrub boasting beautiful red foliage in fall). Both species will support natural diversity and wildlife habitat on the PRHC property, and in time, will create shelter and a windbreak for employees accessing the staff entrance.

Gord Mackay, Groundskeeper at PRHC, plants a fragrant sumac alongside the staff entrance at PRHC. (Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

“Trees provide countless benefits from filtering the air we breathe, to regulating temperatures and providing shelter for wildlife,” says Dan Marinigh, CAO for Otonabee Conservation.

“Planting trees, which are symbols of life and growth, is an ideal way to acknowledge front line health care workers who are working tirelessly to care for our community during the pandemic, and always,” he adds.

Paul Finigan (front) and Pat Kramer (back) from Otonabee Conservation, plant native shrubs at PRHC (Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation)

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the generosity of our community has been overwhelming,” says Brenda Weir, VP and Chief Nursing Executive at PRHC. “Planting these new trees outside the Health Centre will be appreciated by our healthcare professionals, support staff and volunteers, and also by the patients and visitors who are here at the hospital every day.”

Otonabee Conservation is organizing several native tree plantings that will take place throughout the fall, planting 5,690 trees that will sequester over 1.2 million kg of Carbon over their lifetime. To learn more about the organizaton, click here.

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Unsung Hero Jordan Barrie Lifts Everyone Who Meets Him

Jordan (aka “Jordy”) Barrie, a patient transfer attendant at PRHC, is one of the unsung heroes in this community.

If you ever meet him—and many of you probably have either as a patient or visitor at PRHC—he is a beacon of light and one of the most positive and inspiring people you will ever meet. He gives you hope in times of darkness, and a reassuring smile when you need it most.

Before the the COVID-19 pandemic hit, PRHC created this video on Jordie that they just recently released. It now has nearly 40,000 views on Facebook. Watch it below…

Jordie was also recently recognized on Global News Morning Show in Toronto…

We are so pleased to have @PRHC1's very own Jordan Barrie recognized on the Global News Morning Show today! Start watching the clip below at 4:35, and watch our full video about Jordan here: https://t.co/wXKI2hw6KM https://t.co/4Rmog2aGJf

— PRHC (@PRHC1) July 8, 2020

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After 25 days In Intensive Care Unit (ICU) On A Ventilator At PRHC, Darlene Beats COVID-19

Now this is a heartwarming post about resilience. A woman named Darlene was the first patient to be admitted to Peterborough Regional Health Centre with COVID-19.

PRHC reports on their Facebook page that “after 25 days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on a ventilator and three weeks on an inpatient unit, she was discharged home after testing negative for COVID-19.”

“Everyone was determined I was going to live and I did,” Darlene says in the video PRHC posted. “I am your number one admission for COVID and I’m going home.”

Watch the beautiful video below about her journey…

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