Technical Code Grey alert at four hospitals ended

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and three area hospitals announced a Code Grey alert early Wednesday afternoon that ended around 9 p.m.

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and three area hospitals announced a Code Grey alert early Wednesday afternoon.

At 9 p.m. a hospital spokesperson said the alert had been lifted.

Code Grey in Ontario’s hospitals refers to an emergency announcement indicating a utility failure, an outside air event or problems with infrastructure.

In four local hospitals, a planned software upgrade caused a temporary infrastructure upgrade disruption across all four hospital sites including Georgian Bay General Hospital, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, and Headwaters Health Care Centre.

People attending the Barrie, Midland, Collingwood and Orangeville hospitals were told to expect delays.

RVH released a statement Wednesday afternoon:

“Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is currently upgrading its electronic health record system, MEDITECH Expanse 2.2, as part of the CARE4 partnership, which also includes Georgian Bay General Hospital, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, and Headwaters Health Care Centre.

During the planned transition, we experienced technical issues involving supporting systems, resulting in an extended downtime and activation of a Code Grey – Digital Health Service & Infrastructure Loss.

Patient care continues safely using established downtime procedures and workflows. Our clinical, operational and technical teams are working around the clock to resolve the issue and reduce impacts on patients and care partners.

Patients and visitors may experience longer wait times and delays in some areas of the hospital, particularly within the Emergency Department. The Minor Ailment Patient Pathway (Pink Zone) will also be temporarily closed on May 28 due to operational pressures related to the downtime.

Some appointments, procedures and diagnostic tests have already experienced delays today. If appointments or procedures need to be rescheduled, affected patients will be contacted directly."