“We appreciate all you do” KellyShare your message
Thank you for all that you do! QCH has been there for me through much. You guys rock!Aedan
An opportunity to give you all thanks cannot be missed by this household! Thank you so much for the work that you are doing to save lives, to keeping people reassured and cared for, and being on the front lines of this pandemic. We are so grateful to you all. Love, the Wyllie's.Lindsay
Thank you all for your caring and dedication during this challenging time. I hope all the best for you in 2021 and opportunities for you to rest well. The protocol during my mammogram was excellent. I was reassured by the measures taken. Thank youSue
There is no words to say thank you for all you do and continue to do for our community. I have been one of them many times at your hospital and I see each and every time your kindness. How lucky we are to have you all. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxJosephine
Thanks for saving our lives!Vince
Thank you all for all the time and work you spend on us. I have to hope I won´t need it, but it´s great to know you are there if I do. I hope you all get at least an occasional break every now and then!Judy
Thank you for all the work you are doing. Stay safe.Bruce
Thank you to all of the wonderful nurses who took care of me for two weeks as the 1st patient in a 'new' unit set up for non-Covid patients. Even though it was a crazy-busy time, you all maintained a positive, up-lifting demeanor & professionalism. Also, to all of the doctors, especially Dr. Majewski, for the excellent care provided. Thank you!!Shelley
To all the childbirth unit staff, especially Joyce, Donna, and Dr. Doris, thank you so much for all your help with our baby's delivery. The care you provided us and our newborn baby was exceptional. You are our heroes. If and when we decide to have our 3rd baby we definitely want to have it at QCH Childbirth unit. Keep up the great work. Big hugTony & Leanne
All of your work ethics dedication to your work, your families and friends are truly amazing. Thank you so very much! Take care of yourselves too please.Diana
Thank you to each one of you for being there for us ❤️Bonnie
Hi all you wonderful people, It is a pleasure to have this platform to say thank you. We have been in QCH catchment area for almost 20 years. Our experience with the services you provide has been consistently excellent. We appreciate & applaud the caring culture. Sincerely Carroll & GuyCarroll
Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication. I don't know what we would have done without you wonderful people on the frontlines.Rose
You are "Heroes" Thank you for all that you do <3Maureen
Words don’t do justice for the phenomenal work you do to keep us safe. God bless you and your families!Shirani
Thank you for your dedication and hard work! You are my HEROES!Veena
Giving of yourself to all your patients now and always has been your choice of career and when a outburst of viruses happens u don't think twice of helping out. Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you who gave up family time extended your work schedule to get patients through this horrible crisis.Roz
We know first hand how excellent you all are!! Thanks for all you do, and how much you understand how hard it us on families.Susan
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to helping others. Praying you stay safe and healthy.Joya
Thanks for being there when we needed you.Anne
Thanks so much for your great sacrifice for all of us.Susan
Since you first opened, my family and I have had confidence in having excellent help and services every time we needed your help. It is not a surprise to me that all staff at this hospital has put 100 percent of their dedication to helping others during this difficult time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!Sherry
Thank you all so much for your dedication and hardworking on keeping all if us safe and healthy. You guys are AWESOME!Tanya
A special shout out to Chantelle Szanto. An ER nurse. She is very special to our son, grandson and our entire family. She works like a trooper in every aspect of her life. If you ever meet her you will know how special she is.Karen
Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for the awesome job you're doing! Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts.Ann
Thank you so much in saving my friend's life! Such dedication and compassion! You are all highly respected and I'm in awe of you all! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Xoxo...Jill
I live in Gatineau..literally 2 blocks away from the Hull Hospital and I would rather drive the 1/2 hour to QCH for the quality of care and professionalism that we get there. The staff treats their patients like people; not numbers.Kelly
Thank you so much in saving my friend's life! Such dedication and compassion! You are all highly respected and I'm in awe of you all! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Xoxo...Jill
QCH had been our family's hospital for over 30 years and I cant say enough about the awesome doctors, nurses, technicians, and support staff that make this place work! Thankyou from our family to yours!❤❤❤Tina
You all are Amazing! Please accept my regards. Wish you be safe and happy! ThanksDeepali
As a 70 something, I give thanks every time I meet a medical worker. All the nurses, doctors and medical workers I've met in the Ottawa area are excellent caregivers -- our guardian angels in times of pain and problems.Elaine
Thank you to all staff for your dedication to supplying excellent, clean and hygienic care in all aspects of the hospitals daily activities. You are brave and strong and just amazing in all that you do! Thank you!Linda
Thank you staff and volunteers! You saved my life, and I am forever grateful. You are my real-life superheroes!Aedan
Thank you for all the sacrifice you make to save others. God richly bless you and protect you. Thank youMabel
Congratulations to the nurses, doctors and all the support workers at Queensway Carleton hospital on the never stopping care you have given to the patients during this pandemic. You have strived to give them the best possible care you can, trying to keep away from the possibility you could take the virus home to your family. Keep well.Isobel
A sincere thank you to all of you , for everything you do. You are all appreciated so much. We are so very lucky to have such an amazing hospital in our community.Brenda
First a huge Thank You. Followed by a sorry that you have missed time with your loved ones. But on the other hand you have been with someones elses loved one and that should count for a lot. Hopefully when this is all over people dont firget what you all have done. Every hospital badge that has sanned in to work daily have played a part.Mitch
A very sincere thank you to all essential front line workers for your unwavering dedication and courage.Karen
Again Thank You to all the nurses and doctors in the ER and ICU. I appreciated all you did for me this past Tuesday and Wednesday. you are a great group of professionals.Melissa
We thank you for your helpEmma
Thank you so much for all you are doing at all levels of healthcare! Sending prayers to keep giving you strength and courage every day. You are amazing and getting everyone through this.T
Our gratitude and thanks cannot begin to say what you are doing and have done. It takes special people that place themselves in the front line,to serve and help the people in your care ❤ You placed us ahead of your families and loves ones May the Lord hold each and every one of you in His heart ❤ and under His protection.Brian
Thanks to everyone of you that make QCH the best hospital in Ottawa.Marlene
Thank you to all employees who have given so much so we are well. To your families as well...they are rock stars to give up so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.Karen
Thank you for your selfless service, courage, and sacrifice of time with your loved ones in this public health crisis.Julia
Dear Nurses, Drs, cleaning staff ,orderlies, receptionists and all other hospital staff I have left unmentioned: YOU are ALL beyond amazing! I know some of you have gotten ill, have lived apart from your own family members , faced your own fears and anxiety, have to deal with the pressure and heat dressed many times a day in fresh PPE..God Bless !Sandy
I would like to say THANK YOU to the amazing group of people at Queensway Carleton Hospital. You are all so awesome.Brian
Thank you all, for your bravery in caring for us. Stay strong!Mary
Thank you for your dedication and sacrifice in order for us to be safe and healthy!Lourdes
Our nurse manager Christine Cecerna has been so calm..collected..in control. She is currently running 2 units of our ALC patients between 2 sites. She backs her staff 100%. As stressful as theses times are.. she is EXACTLY what you want your leader to be. Thank you Christine!Jodi
Thank you so much to the nurses and doctors of the inpatient and out patient mental health team. This has been a very hard time to go through but the support has been there when needed. Deep gratitude Stay wellSarah
There is no greater sacrifice than risking your own health and saftey for ours, but here you are, doing it daily. That's the true definition of bravery and love. Our deepest gratitude is sincerely and whole-heartedly reserved for you.Sarah
Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and frontline workers for keeping us safe. You are all angels for the work that you do.Patricia
Thank you so much for being so strong and resilient during this crisis. Your work is very much appreciated. You are truly heroes!Rob
With sincere thank you to you all for your excellent work and care.Shelagh
You are tremendously appreciated!Karine
I am so incredibly grateful to all the healthcare workers who are putting themselves at risk to take care of their community. Thank you !Kiki
It is times like these that remind people how important our front line workers truly are - even if you do not need their services. Thank you and be safe.Brian
You are literally the most amazing people on earth. God bless each and every one of you, in Jesus nameDeborah
Thank you for all that you do as a frontline worker ... very much appreciated!Sheela
Thank you so much to all frontline workers!! Especially my mom in the L&D unit!!Kaitlyn
Words cannot express the respect and admiration I have for all of you so I’ll just say THANK YOU to the very special people you are. God Bless You.marge
The work and effort you all have dedicated for the sake of the community in this time of COVID is appreciated beyond what we can say other than thanks. THANKS.Mike
Thank you for your courage, compassion and stamina. Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness. "History will remember when the schools closed and the children stayed indoors And the medical staff walked towards the fire And they didn’t run." - "History will Remember" by Donna AshworthWendy
Shortly after I moved to the Ottawa area, I had to go to your emergency. I was scared but everyone I encountered was awesome and made me feel calm and cared for. Thanks so much for what you do and for putting yourselves in harms way for the people of the region. Stay safe and know that you’re appreciated!Shelley
I spent only 3 days in QCH a short while ago. The staff in the emergency were outstanding I felt the everyone that seen me were caring and kind. Hats off to the emergency station3Eva
Thank you all the nurses in the cancer center for your wonderful care over the past yearPam
Thank you Dr. Song and associates in Cancer CentreCliff
Thank you for all that you do and all that you are. I have always known that medical people are very special. You have been in my prayers even before the Covid 19 pandemic and even more so now. Please stay safe and healthy. May God bless all of you.Pauline
You looked after me in emerg more than a month ago. Fearless and caring, I saw first hand some of the toil of changing gowns and gloves and wearing masks and visors. Thank you. And, even if I did not have that to be thankful for, I thank you for your courage and sticktoitness. Everyone of you is awesome and appreciated!David
Thank you for all that you do. I value and appreciate your work and what you are doing. I do my part : I take care to keep my physical distance and to wear a mask.sari
Soon I will have my 3rd operation at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, and I am almost looking forward to itWill
Thank you for your bravery and dedication in this stressful time of dealing with the Covid Pandemic. You will get your reward in Heaven some day!Maru
You are a true Canadian. Thank you for stepping up when others could not.Kathleen
QCH and the team are an incredibly special part of our community. Thank you for keeping us safe and taking care of us everyday.Shannon
Thank you doesn't seem enough. Nor does clapping hands. But please know how very grateful and appreciative I am to all of you in the front line at QCH. Your dedication to your calling is wonderful and inspiring. Stay well!Suzanne
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our community.You are our Guardian angels.Where would we be without you. Thank you,thank you.Constance
Where would our community be without all of you?? THANK YOU is hardly enough for your courage, strength and your commitment all of the time, but especially during these last months. You truly are healthcare heroes!!Yasmin
Grateful for your dedication, hard work and sacrifice! Thank you,Sue
Thanks to all the nursing staff at the Irving Greenberg Cancer centre for your dedication through this pandemic. Somehow you have managed to keep cheerful and enthusiastic throughout while continuing to provide excellent care. Very much appreciated!Dave
You are all a fantastic group of people at all times and/if when I need to be a patient there I know I will be in excellent hands. Please keep up the good work. Thank you.PETER
MY love and gratitude to the murses in the Cancer Unit for all they do..AND to Dr Jonkers for being my LIfe Guide at this time! THank you so very much!zora
Very special thanks to Dr. Chris Brown and his team!Reinhard and Dagmar
Thank you to all the QCH medical staff and allied health care professionals! What you do to keep our community safe is amazing! Your dedication to our welfare is noted and appreciated. Thank you again...Rod
I'm so appreciative of your dedication and commitment during this difficult time. Thank you all and stay safe.Sue
Team QCH rocks!Nadine
The QCH Family is truly an extraordinary group of individuals. They absolutely live by their values of accountability, innovation and respect... all across the hospital.Caroline
There is no 'Thank You' big enough to show how grateful we are for your hard work and dedication <3Marg
Thank you. Merci. Our community is so lucky to have such a fantastic group of dedicated individuals who are keeping us healthy and safe during this time!Amy
QCH is a special place with countless special people!Judith
Testing this messageJennifer
Thank you for everything you do!Dustin
You are all the absolute best!Jon
Thank you!Sarah
Thank you for proving that QCH is a team of invested, talented, and compassionate people.Sara
I am so grateful for all healthcare workers.Rose
You are all amazing!Katie
So thankful!Andrea
I am so grateful for the work that you do. Every one of you are appreciated.paul
Thank you for all your work!Tom
I’m supposed to start nursing school in the fall. You guys are my making me proud of my decision. Can’t wait to join you and help people’s lives.Ashley
Y’all rock! We couldn’t get through this time without ya!Barney
Bless you all.Cliff
Thank you for helping my mom through a tough time. Thank you for helping us all through a tough timeLachlan
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Izzy
Your hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed. Thank you so much.Angus
My family and I are grateful for your serviceAdam H.
Thank you front line workers. We are in this together!Meghan
QCHF's hospital staff are the best!Zach
Keep ip the great work!Liz
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!Izzy
Dr. Iyengar is the Chief of Critical Care Medicine at Queensway Carleton Hospital. If there was any doubt about the intensity in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and seriousness of COVID-19, he dispelled it quickly, “The first COVID-19 week was one of my toughest as an ICU doctor.”
Dr. Iyengar describes the situation like this: “If you are an intensive care provider, you face a difficult situation every day – and a certain level of fear every day. Normally the fear is balanced by knowledge, experience, courage and resilience. But recently fear took over.
Fear of getting infected. Fear of personal protective equipment shortages.
Fear of wearing the right personal protective equipment.
Fear of not knowing enough about the disease. Fear of not providing adequate care.”
“What I see happening now, is that those fears are being addressed with courage and resilience. That’s something I’m very proud of our staff for doing.”
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) preparations started in early March at both the regional and hospital level. Here, at Queensway Carleton Hospital, it was decided that the existing ICU would be dedicated to COVID-19 patients. At the same time, a secondary ICU would be opened for non-COVID-19 patients in what is normally the post-anesthesia care unit, known as PACU.
Everyone in the hospital was mobilized to assist with the response to the virus. ICU physicians took on additional roles managing schedules, human resources, and virus education. Nurses with previous critical care experience were brought in from different departments while other nurses received additional training. There was expanded training for respiratory technicians, and new ones being hired. Mock intubations and code blues were run in order to train staff on what would be needed to support an incoming patient, start to finish, while also keeping staff safe.
The challenges hospitals expected they’d face were clearly daunting. Countries such as Italy, Spain, and France had seen their COVID-19 infection numbers skyrocket in a matter of days and their health care systems became completely overwhelmed.
“All those countries that suffered, and are still suffering in many ways, published a lot of information that guided us in how to prepare for this. At the same time, we also knew that while a lot of preparation goes into this, you never really know what to expect and that preparation only goes so far.”
Even in normal times, the ICU is a challenging unit to work in. Being on the frontline of a global pandemic as the first patients started to arrive, the preparation stopped and training kicked in. “I think these are challenges that often appear to be theoretical talk, in that it’s never going to happen. Well it’s happening and that’s something that our team has approached head on,” said Dr. Iyengar.
In the early stages of the virus’ presence in Ottawa, Queensway Carleton Hospital saw more COVID-19 positive patients than anywhere in the entire region, stretching from Cornwall to Scarborough. What makes the novel coronavirus so challenging is how it acts very heterogeneously, explained Dr. Iyengar. “Even in the patients that we’ve had, it’s a different pattern in virtually every patient […] It does not behave like other viral pneumonia.”
For people who are not in ICU seeing the impacts of COVID-19, it can be difficult to grasp the intensity of the virus on the body. “What we know about these COVID-19 patients, worldwide mortality rate is above 50% once they reach the stage of mechanical ventilation and require ICU care,” said Dr. Iyengar. Even with the best equipment and the best staff taking care of patients, recovery is not guaranteed when a patient gets to ICU. “So far, although patients have survived, unfortunately, we’ve also had deaths in our unit… This is a bad disease. Just in the patients that we’ve seen in the last 2-plus weeks in the intensive care unit on full life supportive measures, we see that it does not discriminate with age, it does not discriminate necessarily with pre-existing health issues or functional state before getting sick.”
“There will be tough times, so we’ll work together. We will get through this! We’re going to help each other, and we’ll be okay in the end,” said Dr. Iyengar. “That’s the message that we’ve been stressing right from the beginning, despite all the fears and other stresses that everybody has. That is how we’re going to get through it.”
Ralph Field is from Barrhaven. In late March, he tested positive for COVID-19 and spent three weeks in the hospital — most of that time in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on a ventilator.
“But I actually beat it. I’m finally home.”
Ralph’s story is a positive one and he eventually returned home to his wife of 30 years, Diane. In an interview with CTV news, Diane embraces him tightly in a hug. The reporter asked him what he missed the most. His answer? Cuddling.
“My weeks on the ventilator were very scary for everybody. My heart flatlined three times. My family had no idea if I was ever going to wake up again.”
Ralph was connected to a ventilator for 16 days. His kidneys also started to fail and he was put on dialysis.
But it wasn’t working; instead of his blood thinning it started to clog, so doctors decided to stop dialysis. Once it was discontinued, Ralph’s condition started to improve.
“They just decided to take me off it. We were all shocked when my body started to heal. My kidneys and my blood pressure and my heart all started to get better. And then they removed the ventilator. I was finally able to breathe on my own again.” Field said.
Ralph and Diane are happy he has returned home and are in good spirits about the whole experience.
“I will never forget what it felt like to have an emergency doctor at my door, telling me how unbelievable it was for me to still be here. The doctor told me: This is why we do what we do.”
This is the message Ralph leaves to frontline staff:
“To the ICU team that saved my life: you are real life heroes. If not for these women and men, I wouldn’t be here today to share this story. I am so filled with gratitude.”
From the moment a patient arrives, to the steps they take to leave, along the way they are met and cared for by such incredible healthcare workers. People, who in the face of some of the most challenging months of their careers have stepped up and banded together to battle through this crisis and deliver some of the best care in the world. Below we share some of our favourite photos of the wonderful women and men who have worked tirelessly to care for the amazing people of Ottawa and beyond. Please remember to leave them a message.
Before COVID-19, our Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit’s job was to help the elderly recover and return home. Because the layout of the ACE unit is the best available to provide the kind of care needed for COVID-19 patients, our ACE workers are now a dedicated COVID unit.
With the opening of the West COVID Care Clinic at D. Aubrey Intermediate School in April 2020, the number one priority of our QCH healthcare team is providing excellent care to our patients. Our team has gone to great lengths to ensure everything is clean and safe for everyone who walks through the door.
Our Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit team has worked hard and worked smart to completely change their workflow and model of care in order to provide for COVID-19 patients. They are doing a fantastic job caring for patients with respiratory illness — many who are scared and isolated. We are so proud of them.
Our Medicine Unit (C4) has been gearing up to become our next COVID unit. They’ve been learning from their colleagues on our Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) unit, Emergency Department (ED) & Intensive Care Unit (ICU). And we must say, they certainly look ready! Loving those shirts.
The West COVID Care Clinic, operated by QCH in partnership with Ottawa Public Health, was the first of it’s kind in Ottawa. With swiftness and agility, the clinic was fully operational by April 6, 2020 to provide treatment for people with symptoms of respiratory illness – cough, fever and cold-like symptoms – in need of medical attention.
There is a whole team involved in making sure QCH staff and physicians have enough supplies to keep them safe. They are literally doing everything possible to make sure we have enough personal protective equipment when we need it.
“You are part of an amazing team!” Motivation like this and like yours help during this challenging time.
Everybody is doing their part, however they can. Here is Shawna MacIntosh, a Patient Care Assistant from the Emergency Department who has been redeployed to screening.
As many surgeries have needed to be postponed, some surgical nurses have been deployed to different areas, such as Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency (ED), Patient & Staff Screening, Long-Term Care (LTC), the West Covid Care Clinic, and the Fairfield Inn Kanata that is hosting our offsite Alternate Level of Care (ALC) department.
Whether it’s coming to work at our West COVID Care Clinic, or shifting an entire unit, every member of the QCH team have come together and worked tirelessly to take on this pandemic – demonstrating an incredible amount of strength and resiliency.