Province adds $14.2M a month for long-term care
Extra $14.2M a month made available to facilities until pandemic orders end
Alberta’s continuing care and seniors centres will receive an additional $14.2 million per month from the government until COVID -19 health orders are lifted.
The funding, announced Tuesday by Health Minister Tyler Shandro, is retroactive to March 15 and will be used to increase staffing in addition to previous funds for health-care aides, offset revenues due to fewer admissions of residents, and cleaning supplies. There are currently COVID -19 outbreaks at 21 long-term, supportive living and care homes in Alberta, 17 of which are in Calgary.
Shandro said giving extra money to support vulnerable people, including seniors, is the right thing to do.
“We need to get Albertans back to work and enjoying this province. But in order to do that safely, we need to protect the people who are the most at risk,” he said Tuesday at the COVID-19 daily briefing. “I’m very much aware of the toll that COVID has taken on staff and residents of these facilities, and their families, and our government is committed to doing everything that we can to help.”
The funding will be available for contracted continuing care, designated supportive living, long-term care centres and lodges funded by Alberta Health Services. Facilities must report on how the money is being used, and return funds not spent for a COVID -19-related purpose.
Seniors and housing minister Josephine Pon said Tuesday $2.9 million a month of these funds would go to seniors lodge operators. She said there’s a need for more staff, stricter cleaning procedures and additional supplies of personal protective equipment at the facilities.
Meanwhile, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported 33 new cases of COVID-19 in the province Tuesday, and no new deaths. One of the new cases is at the Mckenzie Towne Long Term Care Centre in Calgary.
To date, there are 95 active cases and 599 recovered cases at continuing care facilities. A total of 94 of those residents have died — around 73 per cent of Alberta’s total deaths.
There have been 6,716 cases of COVID -19 in the province, including 1,004 active cases and 5,584 recoveries. In Edmonton, there are 58 active cases, with a total of 518 cases confirmed in the city to date.
Hinshaw said it’s too early to see the effects of the province’s relaunch plan, which began last Thursday.
The Alberta NDP welcomed the funding announcement on Tuesday, but said it’s taken too long for seniors to get the support they need. The caucus called for an immediate 20-per-cent increase to continuing care operators on March 27.
Seniors and housing critic Lori Sigurdson said operators need support to follow new health protocols.
“Minister Shandro failed, because it’s taken so long for them to respond to operators — significant issues have occurred,” she said Tuesday. “The minister needs to resign. This is really an embarrassment. He has not been protecting seniors and continuing care facilities.”
She said front-line workers have yet to see the promised $2-perhour increase.
In Canada, there have been 79,101 confirmed cases of COVID -19 and 5,912 deaths. Globally, there have been 4,735,622 cases and 316,289 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).