Staff and physician entrances: 

Charlton Campus:

Fontbonne Entrance
7 days a week, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Roof Deck Entrance (St. Joseph's Drive) 
Swipe ID badge for access
Note: this entrance is also for Labour and Delivery patients and Patient Transport

James Street South Entrance (South of the main patient Emergency Department Entrance) 
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
Note: this entrance is also for EMS

Juravinski Innovation Tower, Level 0 (off of Charlton Ave. East)
7 days a week, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Parking Ramp to Pedestrian Bridge
7 days a week, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Martha Wing, Level 0
Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Surgery Centre
Monday to Friday, 5:45 a.m. - 8 p.m.

West 5th Campus:

Main Entrance (West 5th Street), Level 1 
7 days a week, 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Outpatient Entrance (Fennel Avenue), Level 0 
Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cafeteria
7 days a week, 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

King Campus:

• Main Entrance
  6:25 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday
  
  
• Dialysis Entrance 
  6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
  6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday

Medical masks are available at the following Satellite Depots:

• Charlton – First floor beside the mail room (open 24/7)
• King Street – Room 1514
• West 5th – Level 0, near the Tim Horton’s
• Healthcare workers may sign out masks for their respective units from the Satellite Depot for distribution and utilization within their units.

If you have any questions, please connect with your manager.

Guidance on using HEPA Filters

Last Updated January 19, 2022 at 8 p.m.

HEPA filter units are required in rooms in which Aerosol-Generating Medical Procedures (AMGP) are performed on patients with suspected or confirmed positive for COVID-19. They are not required in the rooms for routine COVID care.

HEPA filters do NOT need to be run after a COVID patient is discharged from a room prior to the next patient arriving.

Click here for a list of AGMP for which a HEPA filter is required, instructions on when a pre-filter change is required, and how to return a HEPA filter unit when it is no longer needed.

If you require a HEPA filter:

• Charlton Campus: Contact the COVID Command Centre at 289-779-6855
• West 5^thCampus: Contact Glen Pedersen or EVS after hours

Requesting a HEPA filter unit from COVID Command Centre

Last Updated January 12, 2022 at 8:50 a.m.

HEPA filter units are required in rooms in which Aerosol-Generating Medical Procedure (AMGP) are performed on patients with suspected or confirmed positive for COVID-19. They are not required in the rooms for routine COVID care.

Click here for a list of AGMP for which a HEPA filter is required, instructions on when a pre-filter change is required, and how to return a HEPA filter unit when it is no longer needed.

If you require a HEPA filter:

• Charlton Campus: Contact the COVID Command Centre at 289-779-6855
• West 5^thCampus: Contact Glen Pedersen or EVS after hours

Updated guidelines for gatherings in indoor spaces at St. Joe’s

Last Updated March 14, 2022 at 10:10 a.m.

With government changes to further lift restrictions on gatherings indoors, and with the review and approval of the Subject Matter Expert group for St. Joe’s/Hamilton Health Sciences, some restrictions are being lifted on meeting/gathering spaces at the hospital.

Effective immediately: Spaces where masks are worn and food or drink are not consumed will return to 100% capacity, including meeting spaces, classrooms, waiting areas and elevators. 

At this time no changes are being made to guidelines for spaces used for eating and drinking. These spaces cannot exceed 50% capacity and six feet of physical distancing should be maintained. This includes lobbies, cafeterias and meeting spaces that have been designated as break rooms.

The changes reflect the decreased level of risk of COVID transmission in the community while balancing the need for continued precautions to ensure everyone in our hospital is safe.

Please continue to practice the following Infection Prevention and Control measures:

• You are still expected to wear a mask in the hospital at all times unless you are eating and/or drinking with physical distancing or are in a room by yourself.
• Check capacity limits using signage at meeting room entrances.
• Use designated seating; do not move furniture from its designated location within meeting rooms and do not bring-in additional seating.
• Wear a mask when getting up from a break spot to go to a common space, even within a break room (e.g. using the toaster, sink or refrigerator, or when entering or exiting the room).

The updated guidelines are based on the current pandemic situation and provincial directives, and could change if risk of COVID transmission increases.

Thank you for your continued patience and diligence in following evolving safety measures throughout the pandemic.

For the most up-to-date information on masking and personal protective equipment, visit www.stjoes.ca/ppeandme. 

Fontbonne Testing Centre closing at 4 p.m. today, February 28

Last Updated February 28, 2022 at 11:35 a.m.

The Fontbonne Testing Centre (Room F134) will be closed effective 4 p.m. today, February 28, 2022 due to the decreased demand for testing at this location. The closure of the Fontbonne Testing Centre will allow us to reallocate resources to other high-priority areas.

PCR testing available at SJHH Mountain Assessment Centre on Upper James:

• Eligible SJHH healthcare workers and household members can walk-in to the SJHH Mountain Assessment Centre on Upper James.
• Household members do not need to be accompanied by the healthcare worker, but must show a photo of the healthcare worker’s ID badge.
• You also have the option to book an appointments [LINK]. There are currently many same-day appointments available.
• Symptomatic patient-facing HCWs and symptomatic individuals who live with a patient-facing HCW are eligible for PCR testing. Click here for more info on PCR eligibility. 

Oral/nasal swab drop off location at Charlton moving to Bed Allocation

• Starting March 1st at 9:00 am, healthcare workers at Charlton who have had an asymptomatic high-risk exposure can drop off oral/nasal swabs at Bed Allocation (Room D172), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Oral nasal/swab drop off will no longer be available at the Fontbonne Testing Centre as of March 1st.

Thank you to all the staff who worked at the Fontbonne Testing Centre throughout the pandemic. Your hard work and dedication ensured that our healthcare workers were able to receive timely access to onsite testing when demand for PCR tests was high in the community.

Click here to learn more about RAT for HCWs in Clinical Areas.

Updated September 13, 2022

The Ontario's Medical Officer of Health calls this time of COVID a moment of transition, indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic has moved out of a "crisis phase" to something requiring long-term management. 

 To ensure that we continue to keep staff, patients and visitors safe, it is essential that we continue to follow these important practices:

Screening:

• We ask everyone to continue to self-assess their health before coming to work.
• We expect HCW to follow current guidelines; do not come into work if you're sick, book a COVID test, call the COVID hotline (ext. 36131) and notify your manager if COVID symptoms arise.

Masking, distancing and hand hygiene:

• Wear a hospital approved mask while entering the building. Extra masks are available in dispensers for later use or next-day use.
• Follow hand hygiene practices when entering the building by using hand sanitizer every time.
• Follow universal masking protocols. Remove mask only to eat or drink in designated areas.
• Physically distance especially when mask is off for eating and/or drinking.

Gathering guidance:

• Space where masks are worn and food or drinks are NOT consumed returned to 100% capacity, including meeting spaces, classrooms, waiting areas, and elevators. 
• Space where food and drinks are consumed cannot exceed 50% capacity and six feet of physical distancing should be maintained. This includes lobbies, cafeterias and meeting spaces that have been designated as break rooms. 
• Sharing of open food is allowed if there is a designated server or if food is individually packaged. 

We also remind everyone of our code of conduct and expect every one of our staff, physicians and volunteers to be respectful of each other, including those approached by our staff to follow these rules of masking, hand hygiene, and physical distancing.

Work self-isolation break areas

Last Updated January 18, 2022 at 8:15 a.m.

Recognizing that a number of healthcare workers require self-isolating at work, we have added a number of office rooms specifically for those requiring space to eat lunch/take breaks while self-isolating at work.

Additional rooms have been secured at Charlton, West 5th and King. Please see the updated list of rooms HERE. To book one of these rooms, please contact the COVID Command Centre at 289-779-6855.

In addition to these rooms, outdoor spaces – such as the Labyrinth at Charlton Campus and the outdoor Cafeteria space at West 5th ^– are also options for those looking for space to take a break.