Intensive care patients have been moved from Penticton Regional Hospital to Kelowna.
(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)
August 20, 2020 - 4:37 PM
Residents of a Penticton care home and the city’s hospital are being shipped out of town just in case they need to be evacuated because of the Christie Mountain fire burning south of the city.
Nine residents of the Braemore Lodge, which is in the evacuation zone, are being sent to Mount Ida Mews long term care home in Salmon Arm, according to an Interior Health news release.
Intensive care patients have been moved to Kelowna General Hospital to make sure their care remains seamless, the news release states. It doesn’t say how many people have been moved.
Other hospitals in the region are preparing to take patients from the hospital in case an evacuation is ordered, surgical patients requiring overnight stays are being rescheduled and being replaced with patients needing surgical day procedures.
Interior Health is also looking for alternative locations for other long term care residents that may be impacted.
People receiving community health services within the evacuation alert zone will continue to receive those services and the hospital remains open for urgent trauma and emergency patients.
People who are in isolation because of COVID-19 have been identified in case the evacuation zone is expanded and steps will be taken to make sure they will continue to be isolated.
An Evacuation Centre, at 199 Ellis St. has COVID-19 screening measures in place.
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