Red Cross is just the latest step in CHEO's long-term plea for help

Ottawa's children hospital pleaded for help long before COVID-19 and the currently super-charged respiratory season, according to hospital management, and the latest callout to the Canadian Red Cross is an effort to improve both current and future circumstances.

Tammy DeGiovanni of CHEO, eastern Ontario's children's hospital in Ottawa, says she is not surprised by the urgent need for help caused by a potpourri of respiratory viruses, including COVID and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV), plus the worsening influenza season.

"The health system for kids has been undersized long before we heard of COVID, and long before we had this current respiratory surge," said DeGiovanni, the hospital's senior vice-president and chief nursing executive.

The children's hospital has been over capacity for weeks due to an early start to the cold and flu season, forcing it to open a second pediatric ICU and ask nearby adult hospitals to accept teenage patients.

Then over the weekend, CHEO made headlines when it requested help from the Canadian Red Cross, which will deploy personnel this week to assist in non-clinical roles through the end of January.

Primary care access has also been an issue for many people in Ottawa, which can send more children to the emergency room for care, but DeGiovanni said the current patient surge has mostly been due to small children who have trouble breathing.

"What we're seeing right now though is a large volume of kids needing treatment in hospitals from viral illnesses. On top of that, we have a huge surge of respiratory patients," DeGiovanni said.

Influenza replaces RSV as key issue at CHEO

DeGiovanni said it remains an "all-hands-on-deck effort" right now.

"It's also about thinking about how we can sustain and grow the system so that we're there for kids and families in the future, and the wait times go down overall," she said.

DeGiovanni did mention a glimmer of hope in a potential plateau in the amount of RSV in the community, which has been reflected in local wastewater data. There are still infants coming to the ER for symptoms of RSV, but influenza is now the prominent cause of patient visits, she said.

Nurse Rachel Muir, who works in The Ottawa Hospital's birthing unit and serves as the local bargaining unit president with the Ontario Nurses Association, said the health-care system simply needs more nurses to help treat hospital patients.

She said CHEO's decision to call in the Red Cross is an effort to "stem the bleeding," but a permanent solution is needed. Muir said she herself has had to treat teenagers with RSV and the flu who would normally go to CHEO.

"We are in a nursing crisis. We're in a health-care crisis, because if you're pulling in societies like the Red Cross to help with your staffing needs, you're in a crisis. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it," Muir said.

Premier says nursing help on the way

On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to questions about the situation at hospitals across the province.

Ford referenced $5.6 billion his PC government is putting into health care each year, and the nurses being hired for all levels of care, including pediatrics.

"We're actually bringing on this year alone, we still have a month of left, over 14,000 nurses and some of them are gonna be pediatric nurses. We have 30,000 nurses in the hopper," Ford said during a news conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Trudeau, meanwhile, said he was very worried about what Canadian children and families are dealing with right now, mentioning vaccinations as a key tool to keep children out of hospital.

"I will remind everyone that the number one thing we can all do to keep ourselves safe, to keep our loved ones safe, is make sure that you're up to date in your COVID vaccinations and while you're at it, get your flu shot," Trudeau said.

Trudeau added he will continue to listen to experts and public health authorities for guidance.

WATCH | The prime minister on the health-care pressures: