HDGH deploys staff to help out at LTC home
The numbers for The Village at St. Clair have been grim.
As of Tuesday morning, there have been 210 cases of the novel coronavirus at the South Windsor long-term care home — 130 residents and 80 employees.
That's by far the largest COVID-19 outbreak the region as seen at any one location.
To date, 23 residents have died from the disease.
“As you can imagine, there has been a tremendous amount of sorrow and grief. ... That is a significant number,” said Bill Marra, vice-president of external affairs for Hotel-dieu Grace Healthcare, which is partnered with the Schlegel Villages corporation at the facility.
Since Dec. 20, a team of eight front-line health professionals from Hotel-dieu Grace Healthcare — nurses and clinicians — has been deployed at The Village at St. Clair to support its staff.
Janice Kaffer, president and CEO of HDGH, and Marra joined the on-site efforts on Dec. 24, providing management support.
“We have been in a relationship with (The Village at St. Clair) since the very beginning,” Marra explained. “But as the outbreak became apparent, we had to issue more resources.”
Marra emphasized that HDGH'S involvement was not mandated by the provincial government, and the hospital has not “taken over” the facility.
“We have entered into a voluntary management agreement where we are assisting and collating on a number of different administrative and clinical fronts,” Marra said.
HDGH has tentatively planned for the arrangement to last until Jan. 8. Marra said the hospital has been reporting to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care about the situation on a regular basis.
“The No. 1 priority right now is to contain the virus, protect the residents,” Marra said.
The COVID-19 outbreak at The Village at St. Clair was first reported to the health unit on Dec. 8. The case count climbed to dozens in a matter of days, exceeding 100 by mid-month.
The facility has capacity for 256 residents and averages 390 employees during normal operation. According to HDGH'S numbers, half of all residents and just over 20 per cent of staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
But as the new year approaches, there are also encouraging figures: Of the 130 cases among residents, 47 have been resolved, while 60 remain active.
On the staff side, 24 cases have been resolved, with 56 still active.
Most workers at The Village at St. Clair are represented by Unifor Local 2458.
Tullio Diponti, president of Local 2458, has been publicly critical of Schlegel Villages regarding staffing levels and the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for his members.
But on Tuesday, Diponti said he appreciates the company putting its attention and additional resources on the crisis, including aid from outside the region.
“We welcome anyone's help,” DiPonti said. “It gave some breathing room. But (our members) are scared, because the virus is very much alive in there. They're afraid for their safety, they're afraid for those residents.”
Diponti said he's especially grateful for the on-site presence of HDGH leaders. “Obviously, Janice Kaffer is a very reliable person. I believe she's doing a great job. We needed that.”
Diponti added that he is not trying to blame the management of The Village at St. Clair — but he believes there was “panicking” and “scrambling” at the facility when the outbreak began earlier this month.
“With Janice Kaffer being there, I believe there is going to be some stability and making sure things get done properly.”
Marra noted HDGH has also been helping in regards to communicating with the loved ones of residents.
“We reached out to the families (Monday) and had a virtual town hall meeting,” Marra said. “Ninety-one family members showed up through Zoom.”
HDGH fielded dozens of questions from the attendees.
Marra said he hopes the event gave family members some comfort that “we're doing everything we can to support Schlegel Villages, to protect their loved ones — whether they are infected or not.”