January 13, 2021
To HHHS staff and Haliburton County community members,
As Ontario begins to administer the COVID-19 vaccination to more people across the province, I wanted to update you about what we know so far as a health care organization.
While the province continues to receive more doses of COVID-19 vaccines each week, demand for the vaccines will initially exceed the available supply. This has created a need for a phased approach of delivery of the vaccine, which will see high-risk groups, such as Long-Term Care residents and health care workers, be provided the vaccine first. Priority is also being given to areas of the province with the highest COVID-19 infection rates.
At this time, HHHS is actively working with community stakeholders to plan for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination clinics in Haliburton County. While we don’t yet know exactly what role HHHS will play in immunizing the public, how many doses will be received when, or which vaccine will be delivered to Haliburton County, our organization is at the table and ready to assist the Public Health Unit and the Ministry of Health however we can.
In the meantime, we are making plans to deliver vaccinations to Long-Term Care residents on-site at both Hyland Crest in Minden and Highland Wood in Haliburton. Preparations include seeking and obtaining consent from Long-Term Care residents who wish to receive the vaccine, collaboration with the Public Health Unit to ensure important data is captured and properly reported on to the Ministry of Health, and creating communication protocols to ensure Long-Term Care residents, staff, essential caregivers, and loved ones are kept up-to-date about the roll-out.
We are also making plans to deliver vaccinations to health care workers who are employees of HHHS. At this time, we do not yet know if we will need to prioritize delivery of the vaccination within our population of health care workers. If prioritization is required, it will be conducted based on guidance from the Ministry of Health and will consider factors such as the risk of exposure, the patient population that is being served, and individual risk, with the vaccine being provided to higher-risk workers first. Any prioritization decision-making will be made through an equity lens and with consideration for the provincial ethical framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
We will share further information about the expected timing and process of immunization for our Long-Term Care residents and HHHS staff when we receive it. Until then, and until those in our community who wish to be immunized receive their vaccine, I urge everyone to continue following Public Health guidance to stop the spread of COVID-19 – limiting all contact outside your immediate household, social distancing and masking when shopping for essentials, and frequent hand-washing.
Take care and stay safe,
Carolyn Plummer
President & CEO
To HHHS staff and Haliburton County community members,
As Ontario begins to administer the COVID-19 vaccination to more people across the province, I wanted to update you about what we know so far as a health care organization.
While the province continues to receive more doses of COVID-19 vaccines each week, demand for the vaccines will initially exceed the available supply. This has created a need for a phased approach of delivery of the vaccine, which will see high-risk groups, such as Long-Term Care residents and health care workers, be provided the vaccine first. Priority is also being given to areas of the province with the highest COVID-19 infection rates.
At this time, HHHS is actively working with community stakeholders to plan for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination clinics in Haliburton County. While we don’t yet know exactly what role HHHS will play in immunizing the public, how many doses will be received when, or which vaccine will be delivered to Haliburton County, our organization is at the table and ready to assist the Public Health Unit and the Ministry of Health however we can.
In the meantime, we are making plans to deliver vaccinations to Long-Term Care residents on-site at both Hyland Crest in Minden and Highland Wood in Haliburton. Preparations include seeking and obtaining consent from Long-Term Care residents who wish to receive the vaccine, collaboration with the Public Health Unit to ensure important data is captured and properly reported on to the Ministry of Health, and creating communication protocols to ensure Long-Term Care residents, staff, essential caregivers, and loved ones are kept up-to-date about the roll-out.
We are also making plans to deliver vaccinations to health care workers who are employees of HHHS. At this time, we do not yet know if we will need to prioritize delivery of the vaccination within our population of health care workers. If prioritization is required, it will be conducted based on guidance from the Ministry of Health and will consider factors such as the risk of exposure, the patient population that is being served, and individual risk, with the vaccine being provided to higher-risk workers first. Any prioritization decision-making will be made through an equity lens and with consideration for the provincial ethical framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
We will share further information about the expected timing and process of immunization for our Long-Term Care residents and HHHS staff when we receive it. Until then, and until those in our community who wish to be immunized receive their vaccine, I urge everyone to continue following Public Health guidance to stop the spread of COVID-19 – limiting all contact outside your immediate household, social distancing and masking when shopping for essentials, and frequent hand-washing.
Take care and stay safe,
Carolyn Plummer
President & CEO