SAH Requests Community Support for Health Care Workers

March 23, 2020 – Every day, Sault Area Hospital has been working to ensure adequate levels of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure our staff, physicians, and patients are safe.  Our Logistics Team has been very creative in working with our community partners and provincial distributors to secure the gowns, masks, and critical supplies that will be required over the coming weeks.  At this time, we know that all critical supplies are in short supply, and we are investigating all innovative opportunities to secure additional equipment.

“Our needs are changing day-by-day, and we are preparing to scale our services beyond our usual capacity. Our goal is to respond quickly to help our hospital with their urgent equipment needs,” Sue Roger, VP Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer.  “Our generous community has graciously offered to sew masks for our Health Care Workers.  We have reviewed several different designs and have chosen a pattern that will provide the best coverage for our Health Care Workers,” said Roger.

Our community can help meet the need for masks by making masks using the approved design. An approved pattern is available here.  SAH recommends the version with the pocket to add extra filter layers and the soft wire to help form the mask to the individual’s face.  Masks may be dropped off at SAH’s main entrance in the donation box located between the entrance doors.  This entrance is open from 6:00 am – 9:00 pm, seven days per week.  All masks will be cleaned and sanitized prior to use. 

If you require additional information regarding the donating masks for SAH health care workers, please call 705-759-3434 ext. 5326 or email VolunteerResources@sah.on.ca

We continue to make contingency plans and source supplies from all potential suppliers we would like to ask our community to remain at the ready should we need to make an additional request for their support.  Please, monitor official SAH communications channels (SAH website, SAH Facebook and Twitter) and local media outlets for requests from SAH for additional support.

We’ve had requests from people wanting to drop off food and coffee to our front-line workers to say thanks – and while the gesture is appreciated, we’d encourage you to connect with our SAH Foundation Team to make a donation instead. No one should be coming into our hospital unless they absolutely need to – we don’t want to put anyone at risk. By trusting the SAH Foundation Team to extend this support on your behalf, we can ensure it’s done in a way that honours your intention and keeps you (and our workers) safe.

Thank you to everyone who has offered to help.  Our health care workers feel supported by our incredible community.

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