Updated as of May 12, 2021.
Bluewater Health’s infection prevention and control protocols are in place at all times and are currently heightened with screening points for all patients, visitors, staff and physicians due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals are reminded to please continue to monitor their own health, wear a mask, practice proper hand hygiene often, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, and to practice physical distancing.
As per the mandatory masking bylaws in both Sarnia and Petrolia, all patients and care partners must wear a mask at all times while inside the hospital.
The Bluewater Health emergency department is not a COVID-19 assessment centre. For information on asymptomatic and symptomatic testing please see Lambton Public Health's website. Please visit the emergency department if you are experiencing severe symptoms.
Visitors at Sarnia and Petrolia Bluewater Health Locations
Intraprovincial Transfer Welcome Package
Bluewater Health continues to have restrictions in place for visiting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, limited designated care partners are permitted scheduled visits with inpatients. Care partners are contacted by the hospital once identified by the patient. Please see our Virtual Visit Request Form to schedule a virtual visit with a loved one in hospital.
Bluewater Health COVID-19- Patients currently in hospital (as of May 12, 2021)
| Patients currently in hospital with confirmed COVID-19 | 17 |
| Patients currently in hospital with tests pending for COVID-19 *Includes pre-surgical screening |
82 |
Bluewater Health COVID-19 data to date
| Total Hospital COVID-19 tests to date | 11,087 |
| Total patients tested in hospital with negative COVID-19 | 7,424 |
| Total patients tested in hospital with confirmed COVID-19 | 220 |
| Total patients deceased from COVID-19 |
43 |
For information on Sarnia-Lambton community cases, please see the Lambton Public Health website.
For information on Sarnia-Lambton assessment centres, please see the Lambton Public Health website.
What You Need to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine - handout
I am pregnant or breastfeeding. Should I get the COVID-19 Vaccine? - handout from the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health
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Q: Is the hospital safe?
A: Bluewater Health is taking all possible precautions to make the hospital as safe as possible. This includes a reduction of services, visitor restrictions, personal protective equipment (PPE) mandates, physical distancing measures, universal masking and updated procedures.
Q: How do I access the hospital sites?
A: At the Sarnia location, please park in the visitor parking lot or underground parking garage off of Russell Street. At the entrance, you will be screened by Bluewater Health staff. If you are being dropped off, please have the driver pull up to the main entrance doors where a staff member will assist you into the hospital. For those going to the Emergency Department, please use the entrance and parking lot on Norman Street. At Charlotte Eleanor Englehart (CEEH) there are two different entrances for patients and visitors. For those going to the Emergency Department, Diagnostic Imaging, or Lab – please use the Emergency Department entrance. For patients of Dr. Wang and Dr. Shih – please use the Dufferin Street entrance.
Q: Will my appointment go ahead as scheduled?
A: In an effort to reduce the number of patients in the hospital, physicians and other members of the healthcare team are being encouraged to use virtual methods of communication for appointments, if possible. As directives begin to be lifted by the government, your physician’s office will reach out to you about rescheduling any postponed appointments or procedures.
Q: My appointment was cancelled – why and what do I do now?
A: If your appointment was cancelled, please wait for your physician’s office or Bluewater Health to call you and reschedule. We are prioritizing patients based on urgency using an ethical framework.
Q: I have a confirmed in-person appointment. What do I need to know?
A: Please see the patient information handout for arriving at your appointment. and what to expect at the hospital.
Q: I have a confirmed procedure, treatment, or surgery at the hospital. What do I need to know?
A: Please see the patient handouts listed above, as well as the patient information handout for surgeries and procedures during COVID-19.
Q: I’ve been hospitalized and discharged for COVID-19. How do I continue my recovery from home?
A: Please see here for information about discharge planning and here for Public Health Ontario’s guidelines for self-isolation at home.
Q: Are volunteers still at the hospital?
A: In prioritizing the health and safety of our patients, staff, and volunteers, volunteers are not currently in the hospital. We appreciate all of our volunteers and look forward to welcoming them back when it is safe to do so. For more information about volunteering at Bluewater Health please see here.
Q: What can I do to help?
A: People can help by making a donation to the COVID-19 fund at bwhf.ca. Funds raised will be used to support frontline healthcare professionals, as well as to purchase critical equipment and technology to enhance the ability to diagnose and treat patients during this difficult time and beyond.
Community members can also contribute by donating handmade masks for patients and scrub caps for healthcare providers.
You can create artwork or photos and send them to communications@bluewaterhealth.ca for posting at staff entrances.
Q: Can I drop off food, flowers, or other items for my loved one?
A: You can! Personal belongings (limited to the essentials listed below) or food items, can be dropped off at the Russell Street entrance and a staff member will bring it to the patient floor. We can’t promise how quickly the items will get to the floor, though, so try and stay away from things like coffee or ice cream as food items will not be refrigerated or reheated on the units.
- Aids: glasses, hearing, dentures, cane, shoes, gait aids
- Cell phones/chargers, computers, tablets
- Personal toiletries (new in package, if possible): soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, brush
- Cultural: traditional medicine and prayer necessities
- Unopened packaging or items placed in clear containers for cleaning
Q: Can I donate food to frontline staff?
A: Absolutely! Please email foundation@bluewaterhealth.ca to coordinate that.
Q: What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
A: Please see here for a list of COVID-19 symptoms from Public Health Ontario.
Q: How can I protect myself?
A: For information on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, please see this information from Public Health Ontario
Q: Should extra precautions be taken by vulnerable populations (immunocompromised, seniors, pregnant women) to protect from this illness?
A: Please see here for information regarding seniors and COVID-19, here for information regarding pregnancy and COVID-19, and here for information regarding vulnerable populations and COVID-19.
Q: What does community transmission mean?
A: Please see here for more information regarding types of transmission of COVID-19.
Q: Is there a treatment or cure available for COVID-19?
A: There is currently no approved treatment or cure available for COVID-19.
Please see here for the City of Sarnia's bylaw approval and here for the Town of Petrolia's bylaw approval regarding the use of masking when in public, indoor places.
Please see here for Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer’s comment supporting the use of masking as an “added layer of protection” when physical distancing is not possible.
Please see here for Government of Canada information about travel restrictions, exemptions, and advice.
Please see here for Public Health Ontario's COVID-19 Healthcare Resources.
Our community plays an integral role in supporting the fight against COVID-19. Bluewater Health Foundation has set-up a COVID-19 response fund. Please click here for more information and to donate.