G.R. Baker Gives Green Light to Visitors

Monday, January 08, 2007 02:02 PM

The infection control measures have been lifted at Quesnel's G.R. Baker Hospital, as there have been no new cases of gastrointestinal illness on the 2nd floor.

“There have been no new cases since Thursday, January 4^th and we’ve had no patients or staff with symptoms for at least 48 hours”, said Doctor Lorna Medd, medical health officer. “This means it’s safe for the hospital to return to standard precautions for infection prevention.”

This was the second time in a month that G.R. Baker had to implement special infection control measures but Dr. Medd says this facility is not alone “This has been a peak year for norovirus infections. It has been prevalent in communities throughout the north and province-wide. We are remaining vigilant for symptoms in Northern Health facilities.”

As with previous suspected cases of Norwalk-like virus in health facilities, Northern Health has sent samples to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control for analysis.

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Posted on Monday, January 08, 2007 02:02 PM in Health by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: REALIST on January 8 2007 4:21 PM

Funny how there has been an increase in hospital infections which exactly follows the same time line as contracting out jobs by our politicians. Oh well money comes before healthy hospitals.....

Posted by: trusted on January 8 2007 6:25 PM

So what's new REALIST?
I have been in that Prince George Regional and I would defy anyone to run their finger along the top of a picture or whatever, and I guarantee it will come away dirty. The wheelchairs can have accumulated filth on them, and I doubt they ever get cleaned, unless maybe by a visitor. I have seen a cleaner wipe a chair seat and then use the same cloth to immediately wipe a table top-without so much as a rinse. Maybe crap on the chair hit the stand where your food tray would be placed, but there is no one to oversee this cleaning staff. I know one nurse who left the hospital and she claimed she was reprimanded more than once for insisting the cleaning staff be instructed to improve, as they certainly did not clean to any high standard which would be expected in a hospital.
A friend of mine was in a hospital in Vancouver and got that "super bug." They ended up transferring her to Prince George, bug and all. Hard to visit a patient when you see nurses with gowns and gloves on when entering the room, and you know better than to even take the patients hand-and you wash immediately after leaving the room. You sit on the edge of a chair and do not touch a thing during the visit. Yet the patient is out in the dining room with the rest of the patients for meals. Must put the immune system of a few to the test.
Hospitals are full of germs, bugs, bacteria. Better be in reasonably good health before going in for any type of surgery. Might leave with a lot more than you bargained for.
Might boil down to the strength of the union, and just to what degree an employee can be reprimanded for being unclean.
Nothing like a good old "grievance" being lodged to create a little excitement.
Needless to say, this nurse finally gave it up, and if a little extra cleaning was required, she did it. On the sly, mind you. Did not want to be accused of taking a job away from a so called "cleaner."
I do believe they get paid well in excess of $20.00 an hour. Pretty good money-for, at times, a lousy performance.
When you use that expression "keep it clean" you won't be talking to those custodians-or whatever they call themselves. Gotta have a title also. Used to be janitor-or was that just in schools?
Enough already!