PANDEMIC CRISIS AT PARKSIDE
Nurses' union wants public inquiry
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses is calling for a public inquiry into what led to the COVID-19 outbreak at Parkside Extendicare, saying its members have walked into an “disaster zone” at the Regina care home.
As of Friday, 187 residents and staff had tested positive for COVID-19 at Parkside, making it by far the largest care home outbreak in Saskatchewan. The SHA has stepped in to assist through a co-management agreement, and put out a call for assistance as the virus decimated the workforce.
SUN president Tracy Zambory said registered nurses who responded to the call have conveyed concerns about clutter, improper equipment and poor air quality.
“They took out three sea cans of garbage and our members are telling us that the residents' rooms are filthy, terrible. What is happening here?” she asked. “This is unconscionable what's gone on at Parkside.”
She heard reports that, prior to the co-management agreement, staff were told to wear the same personal protective equipment “all day long” as they went from resident to resident. Some of the equipment was unsuitable, according to Zambory, including gloves intended for hair colouring, not medical care.
“I am shaken from what I've heard from my members and from the Saskatchewan Health Authority on the condition of Parkside Extendicare,” Zambory said. “It is appalling.”
Parkside Extendicare and the SHA did not return a request for comment on Zambory's specific allegations. The SHA simply confirmed that there are 103 active cases among residents at the home, and 76 among staff. There have been no additional deaths since Friday, at which point a total of 18 deaths had been reported in connection with the outbreak.
Conditions have improved since the SHA stepped in, according to Zambory's telling. She said staff conducted a deep clean over the weekend and HEPA filters were hooked up on Sunday. N95 masks are now being provided to staff, she said.
Now, Zambory thinks the public and families deserve answers. “We are calling a public inquiry on what has happened in Parkside Extendicare,” she said.
Barb Cape, president of SEIUWest, backed up Zambory's call for a public inquiry. Her union represents care workers and licensed practical nurses. She said air quality has been an issue at the home for some time. She has also heard about a large amount of refuse removed from the facility in Dumpsters over the weekend.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili said Monday that he too sees the need for a public inquiry specifically focused on the Parkside outbreak.
But his party also called for wider reforms in Saskatchewan's longterm care system.
It asked for standards limiting room occupancy to no more than two residents and in-person inspections of every care home hit with a COVID-19 outbreak — with public results. The party also repeated its call for an immediate staffing boost.
NDP Seniors' Critic Matt Love also directly called for the government to ask the federal government for military personnel to work in care homes, an idea he floated last week in the legislature.
Meili suggested that the government is afraid to do so for fear of what soldiers will find.
Meanwhile, the SHA declared outbreaks at two more Regina seniors' homes over the weekend, including Wintergreene Estates personal care home and Brightwater Senior Living assisted living facility.