TODAY
34o Mostly sunny
35o 36o 30o TUE
WED
THURS
Urgent call for more blood donors this week
www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
Page 2
Monday, January 24, 2022
A bigger new tanker for local CFA brigade
Our Gab claims her second Gift
Page 5
$1.20 INC. GST
Phone (03) 5723 0100
Sport
NORTH WANGARATTA READY TO CELEBRATE COMMUNITIES throughout the Rural City of Wangaratta are preparing to celebrate Australia Day on Wednesday. Looking forward to marking their inaugural event at North Wangaratta are (from left) Tilly Pattison, Mike Glenister, Brian Reid, Mary Caruso, Rosemary Tennett, Dianne Glenister, Sandro Camillo and Clive and Marg Pullen. Stories page 2 and 7. PHOTO: Belinda Harrison
Under pressure COVID p pandemic impacts p see Northeast Health Wangaratta g officiallyy go g to ‘Code Brown’ NORTHEAST Health Wangaratta could remain in ‘Code Brown’ for weeks, after officially streamlining its emergency management response on Friday due to the growing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The regional health service notified the Department of Health that its decision was made due to the “extreme demand on our service and the ongoing challenge of staff isolating”.
BY JEFF ZEUSCHNER jzeuschner@ nemedia.com.au
NHW acting chief executive officer Robyn Gillis told the Wangaratta Chronicle that the official declaration formalises a process of redeploying staff into acute services, which has been going on for several weeks. While all emergency ser-
vices and surgeries remain unaffected, only category one elective surgeries are proceeding, with all other category elective surgeries remaining on hold, as has been for the past fortnight. Ms Gillis said alot of NHW’s other community health services, such as allied health and non-emergency dental services, are also on hold, with staff redeployed to assist maintain all accute services.
She said there may also be a need to relocate some patients to beds in other smaller hospitals in the North East. Ms Gillis reassured the community NHW remained safe and she encouraged people in urgent need of the hospital’s emergency services to continue to seek them. She did, however, encourage people who were unwell, but not in need of emergency care, to access other care options such as
nurse on call or their GP. “We are not sure how long this (Code Brown) will be in place, but all indications suggest several weeks,” Ms Gillis said. “We review the situation each day....our aim is to resume normal services as soon as possible. “We currently have around 60 to 70 staff members who are in isolation at home, either due to having COVID or being close contacts.
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED A1 Tyrepower will provide you with PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND ADVICE ON ALL YOUR TYRE NEEDS!
Ph: 5721 8488
A1 Tyrepower Wangaratta
Cnr Roy & Norton Streets, Wangaratta
“At the same time most of our 135 acute beds are full with patients and we are seeing around 100 people a day through the emergency department.” Ms Gillis confirmed the hospital’s isolation ward was, for the first time since the pandemic, accommodating COVID positive patients, with six people currently receiving care in a “safe and secure” setting. ■ Continued page 9