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SARS outbreak forces closure of hair salon.

SABRINA DIVELL,The outbreak of SARS has not only disrupted hospital activity at William Osler Health Centre, it has also closed small businesses for the past few weeks.

For 18 years, Donna Sampson has been operating Madonna's Hair Salon inside the front lobby of WOHC's Brampton Campus.

However, she has been forced to temporarily run the business out of her Brampton home after Ontario declared SARS a state of emergency on March 26.

Since then, strict visitor restrictions have been in place, WOHC's volunteer services have been suspended, and independent businesses inside the hospital, like Sampson's, have been closed.

"It's not the same, I am in my house, and I am not set up as a beauty salon at home so basically I am hanging in," she said.

"It's been kind of scary, between the fire closing us down for three days and now this, it's been quite a month."

In the contract Sampson has with WOHC, she pays rent for her 225 sq. ft. space, but she also gives the volunteer association a percentage of her profits.

"It's been tough (for me) but I can't imagine the amount of money the volunteers are losing because the gift shop is closed and the coffee kiosk is closed," she said.

Hospital officials understand the impacts these restrictions have, but Rosalie Penny, vice president of public affairs, said their hands are tied.

"We recognize for people like Donna, who rely on the hospital services for income much like many of our physicians do, that it's a very difficult time and we empathize with them, but we have to follow the directives."

WOHC received new directives from the province Tuesday saying hospitals can return to normal levels of volunteer services (including the hair salon). However, Penny said, "we still have to put a plan in place (identifying how we would put back activities) and we are working on that."

She said this could take a couple of days to sort out, but volunteers would be notified when they are allowed to return to the Brampton campus.

"I think people are going to have to get past the fear (of SARS)," she added.

Madonna's clientele is mostly walk-in appointments, but Sampson said she also caters to several doctors and nurses.

"I am located between the chapel and Day Surgery so I get you coming and going," she said laughing.

"When you bring a loved one in and you have to sit for three hours (in the waiting room), it's just so nice that they can come in and get their hair done instead."

Sampson also takes her hair cutting services right to patients' bedsides.

Every Saturday for the past 10 years she has had another woman come in to help with clients who physically can't come down to the front lobby.

"I can tell you when I first tendered (to open my business), the hospital thought I would be bored, but I have never been bored," she said, trying to keep her spirits up.

"I have seen a lot of miracles and a lot of amazing things, and I really do get disheartened when I hear bad things about the hospital."

"It's been tough, that's for sure," but Sampson admits that she is very "pro hospital", and hopes if anything positive comes out of the problems SARS and the fire in February have caused, that "it will let a lot of people know we desperately need a new hospital."

Source from thebramptonguardian.com

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