As Canada’s health care landscape braces for another fall respiratory season, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic remain top-of-mind. Humber River Health (Humber) has taken these lessons to heart, developing innovative strategies to meet potential growth in demand in the coming months. By addressing alternate-level-of-care (ALC) challenges and safeguarding the most vulnerable members of their community, Humber’s approach stands as a model for resilience in health care.

Strengthening Infection Control Through Collaboration

At the heart of Humber’s strategy is their Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hub, developed in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Health. The IPAC Hub plays a pivotal role in curbing infection rates and managing outbreaks within the Northwest Toronto community. By closely monitoring epidemiological trends, conducting risk assessments, and implementing comprehensive outbreak management practices, Humber’s IPAC Hub ensures the hospital’s readiness for future health crises while keeping health equity at the forefront.

Preparedness for the fall season at Humber includes maintaining an ample supply of hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfectant wipes, which are critical in safeguarding both patients and staff. Regular risk assessments, particularly in the Emergency Department (ED), allow the organization to stay ahead of potential surges in patient volumes. Monthly meetings between the ED and Environmental Services (EVS) teams are held to evaluate the need for additional cleaning measures, ensuring that every step is taken to mitigate
infection risks.

The IPAC Hub continues to work directly with long-term care (LTC) homes, retirement homes, and other congregate living settings to provide guidance and support. On August 1, the IPAC Hub facilitated a Community of Practice/Networking day focused on Fall Preparedness, bringing together stakeholders to share insights and strategies. The Hub and Spoke Model, initiated during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, remains a critical component of Humber’s strategy, offering LTCs and other congregate living settings access to comprehensive IPAC expertise and support through infection prevention education and training.

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of collective responsibility in infection control,” says Joan Osbourne-Townsend, Director of IPAC at Humber. “Our staff and stakeholders play crucial roles in ensuring that we are prepared and that our community remains protected.”

Strengthening Paediatric Care for the Season Ahead

The annual rise in paediatric illnesses during the respiratory season has presented a significant challenge for Toronto hospitals, with occupancy levels reaching 124-150 per cent of normal capacity during peak winter months. In response, Humber is advancing several key initiatives to address the health care needs of its youngest community members.

To prepare for the Ministry of Health’s Fall/Winter Surge projections, Humber’s Maternal and Child Program has established a phased paediatric surge plan for September 2024 to April 2025. This plan ensures Humber can manage paediatric cases related to COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV by adjusting capacity and ensuring adequate resources are in place throughout the season.

“It’s not just about increasing beds and space,” says Mayura Kandasamy, Program Director of the Maternal and Child Program. “We want to ensure an optimal patient experience. We have to consider various elements – like having an available team of nurses, specialists, social workers, and Child Life Specialists as well as having timely services including testing, imaging, cleaning, and medications – to ensure that we can provide wrap-around care to our patients.”

Humber’s patient-centric care extends well beyond hospital walls. When Ontario EDs observed a surge in respiratory illnesses among children after the pandemic, our Maternal and Child Program launched the Emergency Department Follow-Up Clinic to bridge gaps and provide timely care to our pediatric patients. This enables children to recover at home with physician follow-up within 24-48 hours, ensuring seamless continuity of their care. Physicians can monitor conditions, address issues, reduce readmissions, and improve patient experience. 

Strengthening Community Health for Fall Preparedness

As fall approaches, Humber’s long-standing community health programs are essential to addressing ALC challenges by meeting the health needs of their community members both within and outside the hospital. By reducing hospital admissions, these programs ensure that staff and physicians are better equipped to manage increased patient volumes during the respiratory season, all while ensuring that the diverse needs of their
community are met.

The Community Care Hub exemplifies Humber’s proactive strategy, offering equity-based health and social services to the North Western Toronto community members. By improving access to preventative care, the Hub helps to reduce avoidable ED visits, ensuring resources are available for increased demand during the respiratory season.

From a clinical perspective, Humber’s Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience (SCOPE) program further supports fall readiness by streamlining care pathways and reducing the administrative load on primary care providers. This allows for better patient outcomes and less pressure on emergency services during peak illness periods. The Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit is also continuing to add much-needed primary care capacity, which is critical for managing community health during fall and winter.

Transitional programs like HEART@Home, and Hospice@Home, as well as Humber’s Reactivation Care Centres (RCCs), facilitate smoother patient discharges, keeping acute hospital beds available for new admissions. Additionally, Humber’s LTC Remote Monitoring program helps prevent avoidable emergency visits by detecting early health issues in LTC residents, mitigating preventable ED visits via hospital pathways and resources and further strengthening the hospital’s ability to handle seasonal patient surges.

“As we approach the fall season, our strategy centres on fully utilizing the breadth of Humber’s resources and partnerships to bolster our community’s resilience,” says Beatrise Edelstein, Vice President, Post-Acute Care and Health System Partnerships. “By integrating our post-acute care and community health services, we ensure that our patients receive continuous support, whether in their homes, long-term care settings or through our expanded outpatient
programs.”

Humber’s proactive and innovative approach to fall preparedness exemplifies the hospital’s commitment to patient-centric care and community health. By focusing on infection control, expanding paediatric care, and enhancing overall community health services, Humber is setting new benchmarks for health care delivery. As hospitals across Canada brace for the challenges of the upcoming respiratory season, Humber’s strategies offer a blueprint for building a resilient health care system that is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of the communities it serves.