Canada’s preparedness compared to USA

[meganvl]

I’m shocked how unprepared the states are !! I’m reading these posts of people being limited to 1 N95 and being forced to work after being exposed to a suspected covid patient in the states and I can’t understand why the hospitals didn’t prepare. We have no cases yet but have been planning for a month down to every detail (which rooms will be used in which order and the route we will take patients back from triage, who will supervise donning and doffing etc). Are hospitals not expected to keep a certain amount of pandemic supplies store at all times there ?

[eerrmm]

Each hospital can bid against its neighbor hospital, supplies go to the highest bidder. Free market medicine baby. It's perfect and don't try to tell us otherwise. We heard 30 years ago that publicly funded health systems are terrible and we won't give up that belief even as we can talk to people in the UK, Canada, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, Japan etc etc that look at our health care system and say OMG, it would never get that bad here (system as whole, not the pandemic).

Seriously, though, I'm shocked too. I'm in the Northeast and from what I've heard our local hospitals do not actually have a shortage of PPE at this time but are begging for more because they're afraid of what will happen at the peak. What I'm really shocked by is the CDC completely bungling testing. Like Holy *** we'd be in a much better position health wise and economically if we simply KNEW who to quarantine.

[meganvl]

Yeah we’re only testing a small amount of people in our community but almost everyone is isolating and everything’s closed... we’re just trying to keep the numbers of critical people under control until hopefully a vaccine is available .

[balletomane, ADN, RN]

Dear "We have no cases yet but...",

Please report back to us *after* it's hit you and you're at your peak.

Thank you for your support,

Sincerely,

Nurse Julie

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

Many countries with government run healthcare aren’t faring any better. It’s a little premature to think you’re all set because you have a plan.

[2bnursdee]

I'm in B.C Canada in a smaller hospital and we have a dedicated Covid unit in our hospital. As of 2 days ago we have been told to wear a surgical mask all shift. We are to keep the same mask unless it gets visibly soiled. We are also to wear the same mask even after leaving droplet precaution rooms. N95s are only to be used for aerosol generating procedures. Next week we will be provided with 1 pair of goggles and we are responsible for cleaning them and storing them after every shift. This is because supplies are low and there is a world wide shortage.

I am very concerned with this. I am trying to find info on how many hours both surgical masks and N95s are good for. Also, the increased risk to medical professionals and noncovid patients if masks are not changed after leaving a COVID room. I recognize these are extremely difficult and unprecedented times. Breaks my heart that nurses have to worry about not being adequately protected during these times. Why isn't the government funding mass production of PPE by manufacturers to protect us. I know millions upon millions of masks etc are needed but I don't believe it is impossible to have multiple manufactures step up here.

[meganvl]

I guess I assumed all hospitals in Canada or atleast Ontario had pandemic supplies... we will run out eventually too but for now we change our masks every 2 hours or when they get wet (were told they’re not effective if not dry) and if we are dealing with a suspected Covid patient I think most nurses would wear an n95. If they limited our masks I think quite a few nurses would leave the er

[eerrmm]

2 hours ago, Rionoir said:

Many countries with government run healthcare aren’t faring any better. It’s a little premature to think you’re all set because you have a plan.

True. It is premature to assume that Canada's health system will come out of this unscathed. However, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Iceland are faring far better than us. The United States is the richest country on earth. There is no excuse for the lack of testing and now PPE.

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

11 hours ago, Rionoir said:

Many countries with government run healthcare aren’t faring any better. It’s a little premature to think you’re all set because you have a plan.

Italy had government-run healthcare, and look what good it did them...

[eerrmm]

7 hours ago, adventure_rn said:

Italy had government-run healthcare, and look what good it did them...

True. Unfortunately we're looking at the potential for a very similar scenario playing out in our privately funded health care system. At least Italy's grieving families aren't also now bankrupt from the extended ICU stay of their loved ones.

Also - there's a major difference between "government-run heath care" and publicly funded health care, like Medicare - which is what I am in favor of - specifically Medicare with teeth, by which I mean the government doesn't totally abdicate its negotiating power with drug companies which would make Medicare for all much more fiscally possible.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I don't know enough to have an opinion on this yet.

Quote

Vancouver firm proposes plan to build 1m ventilators in 90 days

The Emergency Ventilator Project’s design—which got underway March 19—consists of only 41 components. With supply chains in flux and large gatherings banned across North America, Corbin Lowe sees throngs of idling manufacturing plants soon being revived in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic...

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/vancouver-firm-proposes-plan-to-build-1m-ventilators-in-90-days/Content?oid=15219399

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

On 3/28/2020 at 3:11 PM, meganvl said:

I guess I assumed all hospitals in Canada or atleast Ontario had pandemic supplies... we will run out eventually too but for now we change our masks every 2 hours or when they get wet (were told they’re not effective if not dry) and if we are dealing with a suspected Covid patient I think most nurses would wear an n95. If they limited our masks I think quite a few nurses would leave the er

I think maybe you’re not seeing this objectively. You said “I think quite a few nurses would leave the ER” if they limit masks. But it’s not like “they” are limiting masks for fun (or for revenue). The reason they’re being limited is that there are not enough masks. As your Canadian colleague above wrote, that isn’t a nation-specific problem. It’s worldwide. And the idea of leaving the ER is fine, but SOMEBODY has to care for those patients. It’s a different situation than, say, going on strike for more money, where your leverage is your ability to leave. People are reusing their masks and respirators because it is either that, or walk out and let a different nurse re-use the masks and respirators.