Please plan to attend your appointment, procedure or surgery as scheduled unless you are otherwise notified.

Pre-operative patients required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID test 

With rising COVID cases in the community, St. Joe’s is resuming COVID-19 testing for specific asymptomatic pre-operative patients. Starting September 6, 2021, the following patient groups will be required to show proof of full vaccination at their pre-operative appointment:

• All Elective Surgeries having or potentially having general anesthesia;
• All elective patients being admitted after surgery who have an artificial airway (tracheostomy, Laryngectomy) or will/may need to use a CPAP, BiPAP while admitted;
• All endoscopy patients having an EBUS, EUS or Bronchoscopy procedure.

Elective unvaccinated individuals must be COVID-tested 48 to 72 hours prior to their surgery/procedure and have a negative COVID test. The Pre-Assessment Unit (PAAU) will either do the COVID test at time of the pre-operative appointment or schedule the patient to have it done within the correct window.

Elective surgeries will be postponed for unvaccinated individuals without a negative COVID test or patients that fail to provide validation of full vaccination. Emergent and urgent surgeries will also need to be tested, but may proceed without a COVID test based on surgical priority. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Patient Relations team at PatientRelations@stjoes.ca. 

Click here for more information on our visitor guidelines.

• Please do not call the clinic or your physician about your appointment. They will call you if you have a scheduled appointment.
• If you are concerned, please call your family physician.
• If there is an emergency, please call 911 and go the hospital immediately.
• If you have an urgent issue, please go to an Urgent Care Centre.

Virtual and telephone care will continue through this next phase of resuming scheduled services.

• St. Joe’s has an excellent system in place to provide virtual appointments.
• Where possible, we may book patient appointments virtually.
• This means you will be seen by your care provider by phone or through a video virtual visit.
• Our care providers who do this are skilled and you will be well cared for.
• This is another safe alternative to caring for patients.

• We will do everything possible to keep your appointment once it is scheduled.
• It’s possible that appointments could change – the hospital needs to take care of emergency and urgent cases.
• COVID-19 is not over, and we will need to alter services if there is an increase of COVID-19 in our hospital.

• There are limited entrances, click here for more information.
• You will be screened for COVID-19, click here for more information.
• Arrive on time to your appointment, please do not come too early in order to avoid too many people in the same vicinity. 
• Please remember to wear your mask throughout the hospital, sanitize your hands when you enter and leave the clinic or entrance and practice physical distancing.

Click here for information about parking availability and rates.

We look forward to meeting you and being part of your birth journey at this really special time in your life.

We know that many of you have questions about the changes we are making at the hospital during the COVID pandemic to keep both you and your family safe, as well as our staff and their families safe. Safety and support are key to all our health care plans.

We hope the video below can help answer some of your questions or concerns.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, like all hospitals, must have beds available to treat those urgently requiring the level of care only provided in hospital. While the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario and this area has thankfully decreased, the pandemic remains a very real concern for all of us. We must be ready to treat patients requiring care for COVID-19 and a stay in our hospital beds. Click here to read more.

Last Updated December 18th, 2020 at 6:19 p.m.

Beginning Monday, December 21^st 2020 all St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton inpatients are required to wear a hospital provided medical mask during their stay in our hospital.

• All patients are asked to wear a medical mask when a healthcare worker or visitor is inside their room.
• Patients in private rooms may remove their medical mask when they are alone in their room.
• Patients in semi-private (shared) rooms may remove their medical mask when they are in their beds, which are placed to maintain required physical distancing.

This change is in response to the increased cases of COVID-19 in our community. St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is dedicated to doing everything possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19.