Preparations continue for a spike of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba, and that includes ensuring people will not be totally cut off from loved ones.

The Health Sciences Center (HSC) Foundation has created a new fund to support families and workers directly impacted by COVID-19.

While Manitoba's proactive management of the virus has led to subdued numbers, Jonathon Lyon, President and CEO of HSC Foundation, says there is still a need to get in front of the pandemic.

Current social distancing guidelines are restricting how people move throughout the hospital, and with what will surely be an increased patient inflow from both urban and rural sources, time is of the essence.

Lyon says that the Foundation is making investments in digital equipment that will allow communication to happen between patients and families.

"Patients right now are not allowed to have visitors. If I was in the hospital, I would certainly want to communicate with my wife, children and loved ones. We've bought some Ipads and there will be over four hundred televisions and telephones within the HSC that will be supported for the duration of the pandemic, however long that might be."

Lyon says that alone will cost $50,000. "This need is immediate and we ask Manitobans to continue to step up and support those on the front line and the patients they serve."

For Lyon, this crisis is reminding the community of what's truly important. Along with those working in supply chains, grocers and pharmacists, health care workers provide compassionate care at the forefront. With the stresses of round the clock preparation and the trials to come, he says that now is the time to bolster support. 

"The health care workers on the front lines are empathetic people. They have families themselves and were asking, how do we support our patients?"

Lyon says that this crisis is a true reality check.

"If you don't have your health you really don't have much. This is an opportunity for Manitobans to support the people who care for them."

Donations to the HSC Foundation COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund can be made online or by phone at (204) 515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.