Dr. Gérard Champion has been a family doctor and emergency physician for 18 years.

This Franco-Ontarian lives with his wife and 14-year-old daughter in Timmins, a city of about 42,000 people in northeastern Ontario. Dr. Champion divides his professional schedule between his office, where he receives his regular patients and in the emergency department of Timmins Hospital. When he is not working, Dr. Champion spends time with his family at his cottage, located a few hours from his main house.

When the pandemic started, Dr. Champion was returning to work from leave. It was in the middle of March, and the medical community had to adapt very quickly to the new standards in order to protect patients and front-line workers from each other. "Coming back to those conditions was a bit like a soldier going to the front," he said.

As a family doctor, Dr. Champion has literally seen fewer patients since the start of the pandemic, but is still treating patients, in different ways. Most of the consultations are done over the phone now, which makes the process a little more difficult due to the lack of physical contact.

In the emergency room, he must dress in what some see as an "alien" suit that takes 2 to 3 times longer to put on. The concept of “emergency” is no longer what it was, as medical professionals now have to account for the time dedicated to putting on the new protective gear. The safety of patients, employees and doctors is a top priority to avoid infection. "Before, we had a medical robe and operating pants. Now on top of this regular outfit we wear a blouse, gloves, mask and then a visor that protects the whole face, a cap, a neck protector and more,” specifies Dr. Champion.

This new outfit has an impact on communication. The relationship between a doctor and his patient is important; it is based on trust, involving verbal and nonverbal communication. With these new protection measures, facial expressions are invisible, which has an impact, among other things, on the transmission of a crucial part of treating patients - showing empathy.

As a result, Dr. Champion adapted his own way of communicating, trying to show more empathy. "At first sight, the outfit can scare a patient who is in distress because it is less personal. I apologize every time I see a patient, I explain to them that protections are necessary and that I hope they agree with that. It is to protect them and protect myself even if I am not very comfortable in it.”

Dr. Champion explains that during the lockdown, Timmins' emergencies unrelated to COVID-19 were quieter for several reasons: residents staying home, transmissions of other illnesses such as colds, gastrointestinal etc. being limited. In addition, with the cessation of sports training, Timmins residents no longer play their favorite sports, which has helped reduce accidents. Adversely, others are afraid of unnecessarily clogging up emergencies, or of being infected with COVID-19, delaying their getting to the hospital or giving up overall, causing serious consequences for their care in the long run. Dr. Champion encourages anyone feeling unwell or showing symptoms of abnormal health to call Telehealth or contact their doctor.

Dr. Champion is now used to this new normal. His priority remains the safety of his patients and his colleagues. He applauds the speed of the medical team which adapted to the situation and put the necessary means in place in record time. His job is his vocation, "even if it is difficult, sometimes you have to persevere and remember why we do this job," he concludes.

Thank you Ryan, owner of the Timmins Nissan dealership, for nominating Dr. Champion, this hometown hero. Thank you to Dr. Champion for his time and dedication to serving others.

To learn more about Timmins and District Hospital you can check out this link: https://www.tadh.com/Opens in a new tab.