Dear Colleagues,
Today, the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN), made up of Toronto teaching hospitals (including University Health Network), released its Pandemic Influenza Planning Guidelines. The document provides recommended guiding principles and actions TAHSN hospitals will consider in planning for an influenza pandemic, and serves as a guide for other hospitals.
Some of the highlights:
- Stockpiling anti-virals to protect all TAHSN hospital staff from getting sick in the first place to keep hospitals running during a pandemic;
- Canceling or scaling-back some programs and services (such as elective surgeries) to create additional capacity in hospitals;
· Redeploying staff to other roles in the hospital to maintain adequate staffing levels;
- Educating staff about the pandemic and the organization's response;
- Using an ethical framework to guide decision-making.
Working with other TAHSN hospitals has made it easier to think through these complex issues and to coordinate our approach now than during a pandemic.
Using the TAHSN Guidelines, UHN's Pandemic Task Force will develop our own pandemic plan. We're extremely lucky to have Dr. Michael Gardam, UHN's Director of Infection Prevention and Control and Co-Chair of the TAHSN Pandemic Task Force to guide us through this planning process.
To learn more about the TAHSN Guidelines and about the pandemic, I encourage you to attend Michael's upcoming staff sessions at the times below:
Mon., Jun. 12 at 9 a.m. - TWH WW 2-401 Auditorium
Thurs., Jun. 15 at 9 a.m. - PMH 6 th Floor Auditorium
Thurs., Jun. 15 at 12 noon - TGH Nursing Residence Amphitheatre
You can also find more information by visiting UHN's Pandemic Intranet page at http://intranet.uhn.ca/home/news/index.htm
Bob
