A computer virus hit Health Sciences North yesterday morning and is affecting several internal systems.

A news release from the hospital says patient care is not impacted but may cause delays in some programs and longer wait times in the emergency department.

Certain elective procedures and surgeries in the next 24 hours may be rescheduled, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments have been cancelled today at the North East Cancer Center and satellite clinics if you have an appointment at the hospital today, contact patient relations. (705-523-7100 extension 3737)

Here’s the release from HSN:

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. To ease congestion in our Emergency Department during this time, the public is reminded there are alternative care options available in the community including walk-in clinics and Telemedicine.
HSN remains open and accessible to the public and continues to provide quality care for its patients.

***Update as of 8:00 PM***
All appointments at the following clinics may be affected on Thursday due to the current IT issues facing HSN:
Northeast Joint Assessment Centre
Ambulatory Care Unit
Heart Failure Clinic
Medical Day Care
Breast Screening and Assessment Service
Patients with scheduled appointments with these clinics are asked to contact Patient Relations at 705 523 7100 ext. 3737 for more information. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this disruption.
Patients who come to the ED are prioritized based on their medical needs, and are not seen on a first come, first served basis. This will mean longer wait times for patients with non-urgent conditions.
While all emergency and urgent health care issues should be referred to HSN’s Emergency Department, there are other care options available to patients with non-urgent needs.
Those options include walk-in clinics and local pharmacies. Telehealth Ontario can also be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-866-797-0000.
To see a list of available local walk in clinics in Sudbury, please visit: https://medimap.ca/Location/Sudbury
To see a list of available walk in clinics throughout the North East please visit: https://www.northeasthealthline.ca/listServices.aspx?id=10072

Filed under: computervirus, HealthSciencesNorth, hosptial