Change to surgeries (as of November 19): To ensure the safety of our patients, staff, doctors, and community, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is temporarily deferring just non-urgent surgical inpatient procedures to reduce non-essential visits to our health network. Learn more
Change to surgeries (as of November 19): To ensure the safety of our patients, staff, doctors, and community, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is temporarily deferring just non-urgent surgical inpatient procedures to reduce non-essential visits to our health network. Learn more
Status of Hospital Services
As we continue to navigate capacity pressures across the province due to COVID-19, SHN is striving to prioritize surgical cases, including cancer and regional services such as vascular care, to meet the ongoing needs of our community. Our Emergency departments remain open at all three hospitals, and these ongoing pressures will in no way affect the delivery of emergency services, including emergency surgical services or otherwise.
Ongoing safety measures
In order to ensure your safety and continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19, there will continued safety measures in place:
Who to contact
For answers to specific questions, we encourage you to reach out to the department that scheduled your procedure for any questions you may have. They will provide you with specific instructions on how to prepare and what to expect for your procedure.
Hospital services
Clinical services
As part of our safety measures to protect patients and staff, many of SHN’s non-essential services and activities have been reduced to limit the number of people at the hospital unnecessarily and allow for proper physical distancing.
Some of our clinics and programs are not seeing patients in person at this time, but are offering services virtually by video, on the phone, or online. Please check with program directly to find out if a virtual care option is available.
Non-clinical services
Volunteer services
- For the health and safety of volunteers, particularly those who are elderly, all Volunteer Services (including Patient Family Advisors and Spiritual and Religious Care Volunteers) have been cancelled
- As volunteers are critical to operating hospital gift shops, they have been closed
Spiritual and religious care
- To support social distancing, Worship Services will only be conducted virtually and livecast on Channel 76 for General and Birchmount (Centenary does not have access to Channel 76, so staff are exploring another technology solution)
- Visiting clergy supporting patients on a one-on-one basis will continue — they will be treated as visitors and will be screened upon arrival
Regional Cardiovascular Rehab program
- Normally we have over 100 volunteers onsite and at our satellite sites helping with peer support and education
- We are leveraging technology to provide this care virtually in order to continue this essential work
Information desks
- Volunteers will not be available to gather wheelchairs and return them to the lobby for use by patients
Registration kiosks
- At our Centenary hospital, there will not be volunteers to assist with using the patient registration kiosk machines, so please ask someone nearby for help if you need it and try to be understanding
CAVA (Call ahead for Volunteer Assistance) program
- As this service will not be available, please leave extra time to get to your appointments