Q and A – An Interview with Dr. Andrea Unger, ED Chief and Medical Director
What role do you play at BCHS and why are you proud to be part of the BCHS Family?
This is my fourth year in the role of ED Chief and Medical Director and my 18th year at BCHS. Being ED Chief has been an incredible opportunity for me and I’m very grateful to the BCHS and the community for being with me on this journey. Unexpected challenges, like being 18 months into a new job when a global pandemic unfolded was not what I planned! But with my incredible ED team and unwavering support from BCHS President & CEO Dr. David McNeil and Chief of Staff/ Vice President Medical Affairs Dr. Gene Jarrell, I’m proud to say we not only survived, but thwarted the worst of COVID. I could not have anticipated the trials and sacrifice so many health care workers and community residents have gone through, and I know we are still not back to normal life at the hospital or outside. My role as ED Chief is to continue to find ways forward regardless of the challenge. I find it possible to do this because I work on a team that won’t compromise on compassion, empathy or respect.
How will donor dollars impact the ED at Brantford General Hospital and its redevelopment?
It is important to recognize that the rebuild does not happen without the Foundation, and the important fundraising that it does in our community. Once the rebuild structure is done, it is the Foundation that steps in with all the equipment purchases including stretchers, monitors, IV poles, pumps, and everything down to waiting room chairs. Having worked on the capital equipment acquisition list myself, I know how important donations from the community will be to make this project a reality. I am very pleased to work with the Foundation on this fundraising campaign and let everyone know that their donation will directly impact patients and caregivers working in this great new space. It is so important to let donors know that donating to the 2021 Hope for Healthcare campaign is a way you can make a difference.
How is the Emergency Department at Brantford General Hospital providing excellent care?
Even before COVID, providing care in our existing physical space at the Brantford General Hospital has been challenging. Several years ago, we took an excellent step, opening up our See and Treat area adjacent to the present ED. The See and Treat provided more private rooms and a fast flowing area for the majority of quick visits that come to the ED. Patients and Staff appreciate the service they can provide and receive in this area. Our upcoming renovation will be the welcome solution for our cramped and outdated main department, giving it the same injection of positivity, and we are all awaiting it to come!
How will the Emergency Department redevelopment make a difference for our community?
For many years the Brantford General has not had an ED space that is reflective of the incredible life saving work we do. Outdated and small, visits are often uncomfortable and more stressful than they need to be. Our expertise and skill as health care providers is often sidelined by lack of privacy, unnecessary noise and confusion, and during COVID, even danger, in being so crowded. Every hospital right now is struggling with the national nursing shortage and I know the ED redevelopment will make a difference, attracting and retaining nurses, if they have better workspace to provide quality patient care. Nurses need a space that respects patient privacy, has proper equipment accessible, is organized and functions for their work, so they can be what we need – the heart of a working department. Our ED rebuild will be part of the recovery our local health care workers need now. It can’t come soon enough!
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