PINES, FAIRVERN RESIDENTS, STAFF FINALLY BEING TESTED FOR COVID-19
MUSKOKA — Weeks after mounting deaths at Ontario LTCs, the province has finally ordered COVID-19 testing for all residents and staff at The Pines in Bracebridge and Fairvern Nursing Home in Huntsville.
The District of Muskoka says in a release late this afternoon, that as part of Ontario’s pandemic priority, all residents and staff at the Pines Long-term Care Home are being tested this week.
And results are expected early next week when updates will be provided, says the release.
The same swab testing is going on at Fairvern, where there are 74 residents.
“Our primary goal remains to do everything possible to maintain the health and safety of residents and staff and this mandated testing is another proactive measure that will help us ensure we have every resource needed to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Norm Barrette, commissioner of health services at the District of Muskoka.
“Our team has worked hard to put progressive and proactive measures in place and has taken decisive action on infection control and prevention – over and above provincial guidelines.
“We are very fortunate that our residents and staff at the Pines continue to stay safe and healthy and we communicate regularly with families to ensure they are informed and connected to their loved ones during this very challenging time,” said Kim Landry, administrator at the Pines Long-Term Care Home. “Our residents, family members and staff have all come together to maintain the positive, caring and safe home and work environment that the Pines has always been recognized for.”
The release claims they have put into place proactive measures “to help us stay ahead of the curve to keep the Pines’ residents and staff safe.”
They include:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply necessary to protect staff, essential visitors and residents is in place. Staff and essential visitors are wearing masks at all times in the home.
This measure was put into place at the Pines two weeks before the provincial requirement was announced.
Provincial regulations require all employees at the Pines only work at the Pines – and may not work at other LTC homes and people who work at other LTC homes are not able to work at the Pines. These measures were put into place at the Pines two weeks before the provincial requirements were announced.
Access to the home is highly controlled and all staff and essential visitors are screened when entering the home.
The Pines says its measures go beyond provincial directives:
Staff that are not directly involved in day to day operations at the Pines have been relocated to work offsite or from home.
A special isolation area been set up in case the need arises to protect residents and staff should an outbreak occur.
Staff uniforms are washed at the Pines to avoid the need for staff to bring items home.
For more information and future updates on the results of testing, visit https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/Coronavirus.aspx
