One of the regular seasonal tree planting companies coming to the 亚洲天堂 Lake area, was left frustrated this season after the lack of attention and service they received at the Lakes District Hospital.
Shaemus Hughes of Waterside Ventures told Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that while this season there had been no COVID in their camp, they did have an outbreak of the adenovirus which usually only causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
鈥淗owever, because of the cold weather and the fact that planters have low immune systems due to being exhausted all the time, many of the workers were developing pneumonia. We also had a gastrointestinal flu going around. Pretty much everyone in the whole camp was sick at one point,鈥� he said.
Believing that this outbreak was preventable if his workers had received proper treatment at the hospital, Hughes expressed his frustration over the lack of attention given to them. He added that every time someone went to emergency all that happened was, they were sent back to camp with the diagnosis of the common cold. No testing other than a COVID test was done.
鈥淭he reason it was so frustrating is that had we known that it was a virus and not the common cold we would have been able to prevent so many workers from getting sick,鈥� said Hughes.
鈥淓ven after one of my workers collapsed on the block because of breathing difficulties and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, the doctor sent him home within half an hour telling him he was fine and that it was because of the dusty roads. But it had been raining all morning and the roads were not dusty. He later returned to the hospital and asked to be properly tested and was diagnosed with pneumonia. It was only after several people had to return to the hospital that my workers started getting proper testing and antibiotics.鈥�
This begged the question as to why the hospital wasn鈥檛 testing for the virus properly in the first.
When asked about this, Northern Health said that testing to identify the many viruses that cause the common cold, such as adenovirus, wouldn鈥檛 be typical unless knowing the specific virus would change the course of treatment or clinical outcome 鈥� and those decisions would be made by clinicians following assessment and diagnosis.
The health authority also noted that Northern Health鈥檚 emergency departments usually tended to patients who experienced a sudden and/or unusual change in their health, including (but not limited to) breathing difficulties, severe bleeding or pain, chest pain, broken bones, and eye injuries. Those with non-urgent care needs may face waits to be seen, or be asked to see a primary care provider in a non-emergency environment.
鈥淭here are clear guidelines (and requirements) for business operators, including those with worker accommodations, to have communicable disease plans in place to prevent the spread of illness among their workforce. This includes isolating staff who have symptoms of illness 鈥� whether or not the source of the illness has been confirmed, first,鈥� said Northern Health.
However, Hughes maintained that the communicable disease policies that Northern Health required them to have in place stated that they had to isolate people for 5-10 days if they displayed signs of an influenza-like illness but not one of the people who were sick fit into this category.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to isolate someone to their tent for five days for having a cold. Not only is this unethical but also unproductive. Had my workers received proper testing and treatment when they went to the hospital in the first place, I would have been able to alert the camp and take steps to prevent the spread of the illness as per Northern Health鈥檚 guidelines,鈥� he added.
鈥淲hy do they require us to have these ridiculous policies in place to begin with if they can鈥檛 properly diagnose and treat patients,鈥� questioned Hughes.
Hughes also said that while he wasn鈥檛 blaming the doctors or staff at the hospital, he did think that they were overworked and understaffed.
Northern Health denied this connection and maintained that the onus of responsibility in such a case was with the camp operator.
鈥淲e welcome anyone with concerns about care they have been provided in any of our facilities, to contact our Patient Care Quality Office. Additionally, Industry operators are also welcome to reach out to the NH Environmental Health for support with Communicable Disease Management planning and response, and/or to our Office of Health & Resource Development for guidance on best practices in planning health and medical services for industrial camps,鈥� said the Northern Health representative.
The question remains as to whether or not Northern Health is able to scale its medical services when there is an influx of people, such as during planting season.
鈥淚 think this is another failure of our health care system. I鈥檓 curious if any other companies are experiencing the same thing,鈥� said Hughes.
