LOCAL LTCS HAVE RECEIVED $5.5 MILLION TO FIGHT COVID OUTBREAKS

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — Local LTCs and retirement homes struggling to contain COVID-19 outbreaks received an extra $4 million in funding last year for prevention and containment efforts from the province.

Conservative MPP Norman Miller said today that the Ontario government is investing a further $1.4 million for long-term care homes in Parry-Sound-Muskoka during the second wave.

The new investment, he added, is meant to strengthen existing measures to prevent the corona virus and its variants from entering homes from the community.

He said in a release this afternoon “new funding will reduce the risk of the virus entering long-term care homes from the community by covering eligible expenses related to:

• An immediate 24/7 health checkpoint to confirm staff and essential caregivers entering the building are properly screened for COVID-19 symptoms and potential exposure, and to continue screening residents on an ongoing basis to support early detection and containment of any new infections;
• Additional prevention and containment activities, such as hiring new staff to carry-out the added workload for essential services and/or to replace workers who are sick or in isolation;
• Cleaning, equipment, and operating supplies beyond typical levels for the home; and
• Implementing infection control measures based on clinical evidence, advice from a physician or other regulated health practitioners with expertise in infection control.

Homes in the riding receiving additional funding during the second wave include:

• The Pines in Bracebridge is receiving an additional $343,200, bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $900,200
• Fairvern Nursing Home in Huntsville is receiving an, additional $247,600 bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $618,000
• Muskoka Landing in Huntsville is receiving an additional $177,300, bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $467,900
• Muskoka Shores Care Community in Gravenhurst is receiving an additional $266,200, bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $850,000
• Belvedere Heights in Parry Sound is receiving an additional $203,100, bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $705,000
• Lakeland Long Term Care Services in Parry Sound is receiving an additional $179,800, bringing the total prevention and containment support since the start of the pandemic to $464,800

“This funding will help our hardworking healthcare professionals care for our loved ones during this challenging time,” said Miller.

“I am grateful for the work that they have done and for their success in protecting long term care residents in Parry Sound – Muskoka.  I am glad that they are getting more support to continue their efforts to keep the virus at bay.”

The release added that since the start of the pandemic, the Ontario government has invested $1.38 billion to ensure that long-term care homes have the resources they need to battle COVID-19.

“We will continue to do everything we can to help stop the spread of this virus and protect our most vulnerable and the staff who have been working tirelessly to keep them safe,” said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care. “From the start of the pandemic, we have taken quick and decisive action to make sure that homes have access to the resources they need to care for our loved ones.”
To address long-standing staffing challenges, the government has launched one of the largest recruitment and training drives in the province’s history, to deliver on its commitment to provide an average of four hours of daily direct care for residents.

It claims this will make Ontario the Canadian leader in the provision of care.

To implement its staffing plan, Ontario is increasing annual investments, culminating in $1.9 billion contributed annually by 2024-25, to create more than 27,000 new positions for personal support workers, registered nurses and registered practical nurses in long-term care.

During the second wave, the province says it has enhanced testing requirements for long-term care homes, and deployed rapid tests through a proof-of-concept program, recognizing the importance of identifying a case of the virus before it can spread from the community into a long-term care home.

And to address urgent staffing challenges in long-term care homes, hospitals have deployed rapid response teams of health care professionals.

Additionally, the Ontario Workforce Reserve for Senior Support program is recruiting Resident Support Aides.

The province has also put in place a Personal Support Worker Return of Service program and is fast tracking Personal Support Worker education and providing supports for new nursing graduates. Community paramedics have also assisted in homes, providing care and help with testing.

Ontario’s vaccine strategy prioritizes the most vulnerable populations first, focusing on residents of long-term care homes, who are at higher risk of contracting the virus.

While the government has committed that residents in all long-term care homes in Ontario will all have the opportunity to be vaccinated by Feb. 5, most of those LTC residents in Parry Sound-Muskoka have already received their first dose.

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