Posts Tagged ‘RVH’
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Levelling up at RVH
Since my last post, a lot has happened. This past November the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Picture of my grandfather undergoing dialysis. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
opened their first in-centre dialysis chair. With the one chair they have given dialysis to up to 12 patients per week. With one chair! WOW!
I joined the Renal Patient & Family Advisory Committee, which saw me invited to today’s Clinical Operations Re-Design Group meeting.
Now the temporary unit is set to open at the beginning of April with two in-patient chairs, and four chairs for out-patients who need extra in-centre care.
I was fortunate to have a tour earlier today. Located near the Atrium entrance will make getting to dialysis easy for the out-patients. The unit is small. Might be tight once equipment and chairs move in, but it’ll be comfortable. Gone are the curtains you may be used to, replaced with screens for infection control.
In addition the unit has an isolation room for any patients that require it, and three sinks to ensure handwashing is priority #1. They’re not fooling around with infection.
As well there will be a washroom which is easily accessible for patients. Patients who can’t sit in a chair and require a bed will also be accommodated.
Overall the temporary unit looks very promising, and earns an A+. Great job all.
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Healthcare industry injustice towards vegetarians & vegans
Over the last 6 months, a lot has gone on in my life. As my close friends know, I lost my Mom to cancer in July. So I’ve had both a journey visiting Mom in the hospital, to being an outpatient myself.
As an outpatient, it’s no different than not being a patient at all. Most hospitals expect you to purchase (or bring,) your own meals, so vegetarian options are plentiful. Vegan options, depending on the hospital, I found, are more challenging to find. But at least you can bring your own.
A few years ago Mom was advised by her doctor to severely cut down on the amount of meat she eats. So she did. However, at the end of May she was a patient at St. Michael’s Hospital downtown Toronto.
I remember a disturbing conversation between a dietician at the hospital, and Mom. No doctor had countermanded the orders, so the dietician assumed a lot actually trying to convince Mom to eat meat. (Which is all they had sent her up to this point. She had to demand to speak to someone about fixing it.) Because various diets (such as a renal diet) do not necessarily mix with being vegetarian, or vegan because the protein sources could, for example, be high in phosphorous, which is bad for anyone with renal failure.
As an in-patient myself in the past (pre-being vegetarian,) most hospital’s automatically order your area’s “special meal” and forget the vegetarian part until you insist. And if you want this done in the first day, you have to complain real loudly.
I think this is an area St. Michael’s, and locally to Barrie the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre needs to work on. First being meals patients actually want to eat, but secondly not assuming that we all eat meat.
As a renal patient I’m seen as a bit of an enigma – I haven’t eaten meat in 7 years. Yet my blood work is consistent, and perhaps even a bit better than my fellow patients who do eat meat.
As the dietician from St. Mike’s pointed out – nephrologist’s (kidney doctor) used to recommend patient’s with renal failure should reduce the amount of meat they eat. According to her that advice is now outdated – I don’t agree with her as the science so far, is behind eating less meat, and more vegetables.
Who can argue with a vegetable?
Oh, and I won the argument with the dietician. Team Peter – 4. Team Healthcare – 0.
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Renal services in Barrie – a letter
11 September, 2014
Janice Skot, President & CEO
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
201 Georgian Drive
Barrie, Ontario L4M 6M2
Dialysis machines in Barrie, Ontario
RE: Renal services at RVH
Dear Ms. Skot,
Have you ever had to undergo long-term treatment for an ailment like cancer, or dialysis for failing kidneys?
I have been a renal patient for approximately 30 years. I have been to a number of renal clinics, from the Hospital for Sick Children, to The Ottawa Hospital, to yours; and seen the various models, and services. What RVH currently offers is, in my opinion, both a blessing and a curse.
The other day I had to visit RVH to have a blood transfusion in the medical treatment clinic. It was a very nice clinic, with three nice nurses. At any other hospital, I could simply have had that transfusion during my dialysis treatment. I already spend upwards if 12 hours a week at medical treatment, I don’t really enjoy spending extra time on top of that, when a volunteer could simply have gotten into a cab, and brought it over to the dialysis unit. Or RVH could do this new, and novel approach many hospitals are practicing – by putting the dialysis unit in the main hospital.
Why is this not a priority?
In many ways, I love that the dialysis unit is separate. You’re saving me a ton of money on parking. But then you go and try to gouge me by paying to watch your TV. I haven’t spent a dime on it. (I choose not to watch it.) As far as I am aware, RVH is the only hospital in Ontario to charge its dialysis patients to watch TV. We have no choice but to be there three times a week, and you want to nickel and dime us?
Ultimately, however, Barrie as a city has approximately 135,711 residents, according to the 2011 census. Kingston, Ontario as a city has approximately 123,363. Kingston General Hospital has a renal transplant program. Why does RVH not have one? And don’t use us not having a University as an excuse. RVH could easily partner with the University of Toronto like you already have for the family medicine program.
As a result of this situation, I would like you and RVH to make renal services a priority. Start now to bring a transplant program to RVH in the next 5 – 10 years. At the end of the day, Ms. Skot, it’s go time!
Respectfully yours,
Peter V. Tretter
P.S. Could you please do something about all those styrofoam cups that end up in the landfill? Perhaps by replacing them with paper cups that can be recycled? Thank you.
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Action needed!! Please help!
We need your help!
Last evening, Barrie Green Party President & CEO Peter Tretter, launched a petition. He is asking the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) to do something extraordinary.
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He wants RVH to stop buying styrofoam cups. Why? Well RVH doesn’t recycle them, and there are signs all over RVH stating the fact.So Peter is petitioning them to switch to paper cups, which can be recycled.
But Peter needs 100 signatures by Monday morning to get the attention of Hospital CEO Janice Skot, and RVH.
What do you need to do?
1. Sign the petition!
2. Share the petition on Facebook, Twitter, Google+
3. Tell your friends and family about the petition!Together we can end styrofoam cups at RVH!
Source: Barrie Green Party News.
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