Re-Introducing Clinical Services with Safety as our #1 Priority

At Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC), we continue to review how to best provide our services during this global pandemic.  Many outpatient and non-urgent services were suspended in the spring of 2020, and planning has been underway to re-introduce these services in a slow and steady manner.  During this time, we want to keep you well-informed and safe; especially as Ontario operates in stage three of re-opening the province under various restrictions.

Like many other hospitals across Canada, we know that we must remain vigilant and abide by provincial guidelines.  Below are links and guidelines on current restrictions and services.  We continue to work collaboratively with our partners to ensure a seamless transition to and from the hospital.  Please be aware that restrictions and services are subject to change if there are an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in our region. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website.

Entrance to Hospital and Screening

We continue to maintain the Emergency entrance as the sole-entrance to the hospital for patients and visitors.  Screening staff are at the entrance 24 hours a day.  Anyone entering will be screened, asked to wash their hands, and reminded to put on a mask. We encourage all individuals to bring their own cloth mask.  Disposable masks are available if required, and additional masks are available for purchase in our vending machine at a cost of $2.00. 

Visitors (includes visitors, care partners, escorts)

Earlier in the pandemic we implemented visitor restrictions. As we are continuing to see low numbers of COVID-19 cases in the region, our restrictions are being adjusted.

Hospital Site

• Inpatients at the hospital may now have two visitors at a time.
• Outpatients are allowed one visitor. (Outpatients include anyone coming in for an appointment based at SLMHC as well as those coming in for Emergency care)

William A. George Extended Care Unit (ECU)

• We are now allowing indoor and outdoor visits with residents and their loved ones at ECU. These must be scheduled ahead of time and can be arranged by contacting the Team Lead at (807) 737-3030 ext. 4577.

For questions about visitor restrictions and more information, visit www.slmhc.on.ca/covid19.

Masks

All of our staff, patients and visitors have been required to wear masks since the start of the pandemic. This continues and we are asking the public to bring their own cloth masks, in an effort to conserve our medical-grade supply. Fabric masks are available at many local and regional businesses, and we thank you for your commitment to health and safety.

Our Staff and Processes

Our staff continues to follow many strict protocols to protect themselves, and every patient and visitor, here at SLMHC. Some of our administrative staff continues to work from home, but all essential frontline staff continues to be onsite and deliver on our commitment to Excellence Every Time.

We thank each and every one of our staff and physicians for their dedication to health care services during this time, and thank all of our patients, clients and care partners for their patience.  We understand that the pandemic has affected many areas of our lives, and it is important that we stay strong, be kind, and be supportive of each other during this time.  We will get through this together!

Our Services

Some of our services were temporarily paused at the start of the pandemic, but many have also continued to operate. In efforts to ensure everyone has accurate information about each of our departments/services here, we are working to ensure our website is kept up-to-date on each department/service page.

Please view our Departments and Services pages for specific information on how each service is being operating at this time.  If you have any specific questions about a service or appointment, please call our main switchboard at (807) 737-3030.

Getting more Information

We have a dedicated COVID-19 page on our website. This provides information about our services, our COVID-19 Assessment Centre, and how COVID-19 is impacting us at SLMHC. This is all available online, anytime, at www.slmhc.on.ca/covid19.