COVID-19

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The Montreal Heart Institute is now designated as a center for cardiac surgery to allow other hospitals to focus on COVID-19. To fulfill our role, it is absolutely necessary to prevent our patients and staff from being infected.

If you are worried about COVID‑19, you can call 514-644-4545450-644-4545 and 1-877-644-4545 (toll free) elsewhere in Québec.

If you have symptoms such as new cough or cough that gets worse, fever, difficulty breathing or sudden loss of sense of smell without nasal congestion with or without loss of taste:

  • Do not came to the Heart Institute and do not go to a medical clinic unless you have first obtained an appointment.
  • If your condition allows you to do so, call 1-877-644-4545. If you are a traveller who has returned within less than 14 days, mention it.
  • Visit the emergency room only if you have difficulty breathing (you have difficulty breathing when resting or are unable to breathe when lying down).

For patients followed in external and specialized clinics at the Montreal Heart Institute

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your heart condition and Covid-19, please contact us via the special information phoneline at 1-833-593-7448 (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ) or by email: covid19-icm.telephonique@icm-mhi.org

If you must leave a telephone message or if you communicate with us by email, please specify the following information for the rapid processing of your request :

  • Last name and first name
  • File number or date of birth
  • Phone number
  • Short description of the reason for your message

Thank you for your collaboration.

Exceptional measures for exceptional situation :


Visitors and patients

VISITS END AT 8 p.m.

One person at a time is permitted for a maximum of four (4) different people per 24 hours; we ask family members to coordinate their visits.
We recommend limiting the duration of the visit to one hour.

Visitors are only greeted through the main entrance to the ICM.
Patients hospitalized on care units with suspected COVID may receive visitors;

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn before entering the room.

When you arrive at the ICM, you will need to:
• Respond to a Covid-19 screening questionnaire and your temperature will be taken;
• Perform hand hygiene when entering and leaving the hospital, as well as when entering and leaving your loved one's room;
• Wear a procedural mask at all times during the visit;
• Maintain a physical distance of at least two (2) meters (about 6 feet) at all times;
• Make your presence known as soon as you arrive at the care unit, at the nurses' station, before going to the room;
• Do not bring any objects or food from home; only essential personal effects are authorized such as underwear, toothbrush, prosthesis, glasses, hearing aid, etc;
• Stay in the room for the duration of the visit; do not walk around the hospital, go to the cafeteria or anywhere else in the hospital;
• Follow the instructions given by the staff, otherwise visitation rights may be revoked.

Companion persons: are not allowed.
Attendants are not allowed (clinic, research, emergency or examinations in diagnostic areas).

Hospitalized patients: You must make your presence known as soon as you arrive at the nursing unit in the care unit before going to a room. Click here to print the instructions for hospitalized patient visitors. (click here to print the instructions)

Emergency: One (1) Visiting Caregiver or accompanying person at a time is permitted at the bedside.
• Considering the many construction works currently underway at the ICM;
• Considering the fact that the emergency room is located in temporary facilities;
• Considering that the spaces available in the emergency room are small and cramped;

Surgical intensive care: Only one person at a time is allowed
• Only one person at a time is allowed, for a maximum of two (2) different people per 24 hours
• Visits begin the day after the operation;
• The maximum duration of the visit is 30 minutes per person; we ask you to refer to the nursing nurse to identify the best time for your loved one to visit;
• Visitors must announce their arrival to the clerk or assistant head nurse, in order to wait for the favorable time slot. The telephone number to reach before coming to the ICM is 514-376-3330 at extension 3365;
• We ask that you coordinate the visits and identify someone in your family who will be responsible for contacting the clerk or assistant head nurse to schedule the visits.
Palliative and end-of-life care (including patients receiving continuous palliative sedation and assisted dying): One to two people at a time.
• One to two people at a time, for a maximum of four (4) different people per 24 hours
• Significant people identified by the user are favored.

"You are not alone" - Telehealth

In the current context, the Institute has implemented several tools for its users such as telephone follow-up and, in some clinics, consultation by videoconference. As Sylvain Bédard, patient coordinating partner at CEPPP, says, "We stay at home, but we are not alone!" 

Access to the Institute

As a preventive measure, the Montreal Heart Institute increases control over entry and exit. All visitors and users should use the main entrance located near the visitors parking lot located North of Saint-Zotique street.

The entrance to the Viau Street Research Center, which leads directly to the blood sampling Center, is temporarily closed.

Only patients who consult the emergency department can transit through the emergency entrance on Bélanger Street. No visitor will be allowed to transit through the emergency entrance to circulate in the hospital.

EPIC Center

The EPIC Center suspends its sports activities and its secondary prevention and diabetes clinics from March 13, 2020 until further notice.

Anxious to help you stay active, and to support you during this period when many efforts are required of each, the EPIC Center team offers you content via its Facebook page. From Monday to Friday at 11:30 a.m., an activity session of approximately 15 minutes will be offered live.

All information concerning the activities of the EPIC Center is found in the weekly press releases in order to keep you well informed of the situation.

External, specialized clinics

All patients will receive a call before the scheduled date of their appointment. Most appointments will be transformed into a telephone or remote appointments.

Sampling center

On a temporary basis, the Sampling Center exclusively accepts ICM patients by appointment.

COVID-19

In case of symptoms : 1 877 644-4545

Government information on COVID-19 : 1 833 784-4397

Psychosocial telephone consultation service : 8-1-1

Community resources : Telephone line 211 Greater Montreal at # 2-1-1

General information on COVID-19

Instructions and directives

How to offer your help