Please see below for the following updates:

• Masking changes at Unity Health effective April 22, 2024
• Enhancements to the St. Michael’s Emergency Department beginning April 29
• Farewell to Linda Jackson
• RD Medical Directive - Briefing Note and Document

 COVID-19 levels in the community are currently low. In consultation with our Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) and Workplace Health, Safety and Wellness (WHSW) teams, and with other Toronto region hospitals, we are updating our guidance on staff, physician, volunteer, visitor and patient masking requirements at Unity Health. On Monday, April 22, 2024 the following changes will come into effect. 

Note: These changes do NOT apply to The Houses of Providence (HOP). Long-term care home specific guidelines will be updated separately.

Masking for all clinical interactions is no longer routinely required for staff, physicians, learners and volunteers or visitors in most clinical and patient-facing areas in both the inpatient and ambulatory setting.

Masking is still required on 8PGT (hematology/oncology ward) and in our Medical Day Care Unit (MDCU) at St. Michael’s as some patients in these areas remain at very high risk of severe COVID-19. Active monitoring of the masking approach in these areas will continue. Staff should continue to mask if indicated by their own point-of-care risk assessment (PCRA). 

Masks are still required for staff in these circumstances:

• When providing care to, or within the room of patients on IPAC Additional Precautions where a mask is indicated (e.g. Droplet-Contact precautions) or when specifically required by IPAC or WHSW
• When providing care to, or within the room of patients on our hematology/oncology ward (8PGT) or our Medical Day Care Unit
• During outbreaks if directed by the Outbreak Management Team
• At the discretion of the healthcare worker based on their PCRA as part of routine practices

As masking requirements are relaxed, please note that:

• Visitors who are feeling unwell should not visit.
• Outpatients with respiratory symptoms should continue to mask
• Masks will remain available to all staff, patients and visitors and masks are always welcome in all spaces where they are not required
• If a patient asks that a mask be worn during their care, we encourage staff to mask; if a patient has chosen to be masked, it is also suggested that staff mask when providing care or when in close proximity to the patient
• For inpatients on Droplet-Contact precautions, masks must still be worn, if tolerated, when outside their room (e.g. during transport to medical imaging)

These guidelines apply to all staff, physicians, volunteers, visitors and patients. Unity Health will remain a mask-friendly space and all are welcome to continue masking in all areas. Masks will continue to be supplied by Unity Health at all facility entrances and will also be available in clinical areas. Masking requirements are subject to change depending on virus activity in the hospital and community, and it may be necessary to bring back mask requirements for the fall/winter respiratory virus season or when community levels of COVID-19 and other respiratory illness activity are high. 

Resources to communicate this change:

• A printable poster to display in hospital units
• A letter for inpatients
• A script detailing masking information

Information about the new masking guidelines will be available on Unity Health’s website and updated posters will be posted at hospital entrances. If you have further questions, please contact the Infection, Prevention and Control team for your unit.

Thanks to the support of a generous donor, the St. Michael’s Emergency Department will be undergoing several enhancements to improve the physical space and experiences for ED staff, physicians, patients and families:

• April 29-May 3: Installation of information screens in the triage/registration and acute waiting areas. Screens will display wait time dashboards and public information signage, replacing the physical signage found throughout the ED.
• April 29-May 10: Several physical space improvements in the triage/registration waiting area, including lighting upgrades, new paint and ceiling tile replacement and maintenance. Teams and contractors will also install changing stations, vending machines and new seating to better support patients and families.
• May 14-30: Updates to wayfinding in the ED. This work will take place in a phased approach, with a focus on navigation through the public entrance and waiting areas. Follow-up communications specific to the change in nomenclature will be issued prior to these installations.

Please note that while our Planning team will do their best to minimize interruptions, there may be impacts to staff, physicians and patients in or passing through the ED. We kindly ask for patience during this time. Once complete, these enhancements will provide a better experience for staff, patients and their families.

Please also be reminded that the ED entrance should only be used by patients seeking urgent care. This is especially important as we move forward with these enhancements, which will increase foot traffic in the ED.

If you have any questions, please contact Candis Kokoski, Clinical Leader Manager of the Emergency Department at St. Michael’s.

After eight years of dedicated service to Unity Health Toronto as Senior Clinical Program Director of Primary & Community Care Program, Linda Jackson has announced that she is retiring from full time employment and leaving her role on June 28, 2024.

Linda started her career at Unity Health in March 2016 as the Program Director/Executive Director of Academic Family Health Team, St. Michael’s Hospital. In September 2019, she transitioned to the role of Senior Clinical Program Director of Primary & Community Care Program at Unity Health, where her leadership expanded to include the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Urban Family Health Team and more recently Occupational Medicine and related ambulatory clinics.

Throughout the years, Linda demonstrated strong leadership, commitment and dedication to Unity Health. She has received a number of accolades including the Ella Ferris Culture of Leadership Award in 2018 and the Department of Family and Community Medicine Award of Excellence in Collaboration in 2022. During the pandemic, Linda took accountability for the St. Michael’s COVID-19 assessment centre, COVID-19 vaccine clinic and outreach teams focused on shelters and community programs supporting people facing significant barriers in accessing supports. Linda developed an excellent reputation amongst the community health sector in providing care for patients experiencing marginalization as a trusted, valued and respected collaborative leader.

Please join us in thanking and recognizing Linda’s exceptional career, her contributions to the Primary & Community Care Program, and to the broader Unity Health Toronto community. We wish her all the best as she moves to the next phase of her life.

Please see the following documents pertaining to our newly approved RD medical directive to be shared with the Council of Chiefs:

• Briefing Note
• Directive: Registered Dietitians Authorized to Initiate, Modify or Discontinue Oral Diet Orders and Enteral Nutrition Orders

This directive has been approved at IPPEC and will be uploaded to our Policies and Procedures system shortly. We have also included an update in the MAC briefing note from Interprofessional Practice.

Happy to make ourselves available if there are any questions!

Ashley