Yellowknife’s Sobering Centre and Day Shelter are open and offering full services, just two days after NWT Wildfire evacuees were let back into the city.
An update on services provided by Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority shortly before 4 p.m., Sept. 8. It detailed how services would look in the week of Sept. 11.
“Dialysis, Chemotherapy, IV therapy will return to service, allowing these groups of individuals who could not return immediately at the end of the evacuation order to make plans to travel home,” reads a summary of the update. “Public health and home care back to full capacity. Medical Travel Bookings to Yellowknife will start to resume.
“Starting September 11th residents who are currently evacuated and have a scheduled Medical Travel appointment outside of the NWT during the week of September 11-15th should contact the clinic where their appointment referral originated to confirm their appointment and review evacuee supports and/or initiate medical travel benefits.”
Outpatient services, prenatal appointments and diagnostics will resume booking on Sept. 11. System navigation services for Indigenous patients will also be available on that date, as well as the Indigenous wellness program.
Lab services are at 95 per cent capacity and rehabilitation services are at 80 per cent capacity.
Stanton Territorial Hospital Emergency Department is now at 80 per cent capacity and 10 out of 25 inpatient acute care beds are currently available. Surgeries are only at 10 per cent capacity for inpatient care and 20 per cent capacity for day surgery. Chemotherapy and Dialysis services are at full capacity as of Sept. 11 and 13, respectively. The Intensive Care Unit and the Psychiatric unit are at 50 per cent capacity. Primary care is only at 70 per cent capacity. Pediatrics is only at 10 per cent capacity and neither Obstetrics or Extended care is currently being offered.
“Most patients that have non-ICU level post-surgical care needs will be cared for within the 10-bed combined acute care bed capacity on the Medicine unit but some patients’ care needs may warrant transfer to another facility before or after their surgery,” says the update. “Medical travel into Yellowknife for outpatient appointments will resume as soon as medical boarding facility and hotels operations are re-established, likely later in the week of Sept 11.
“Please have patience as we work to re-book cancelled appointments from the evacuation period, and to schedule new appointments for those who are awaiting new referrals or follow ups. Non-urgent bookings may be delayed.
“Urgent medical travel may be directed to other sites in the territory or Alberta.”