Ontario Asks for Additional Federal Assistance

The Ontario government announced new measures to further protect Long-Term Care Residents and Staff as they battle COVID-19.  The measures include a formal request to the federal government for further aid.

“Today we are making progress against this ruthless disease, but I want to emphasize that every option is on the table to get our long-term care homes what they need to stop the spread.  That is why we intend to make a formal request for assistance from the federal government,” Ford said. The assistance could come in additional help from the Public Health Agency of Canada or deployment of Canada’s armed forces.

Additional measures include the following:

• Assisting 20 long-term care homes, which were previously experiencing outbreaks, to become now outbreak-free.

• Increasing testing on both symptomatic and asymptomatic staff and residents. To date, approximately 11,600 tests have been completed amongst residents in long-term care.

• Conducting additional testing of asymptomatic residents and staff outside of the testing guidance at 21 long-term care homes, to help understand the spread of the virus.

• Setting up a 24/7 Long-Term Care COVID-19 Response Team, which has already helped more than 30 homes by putting in place infection control protocols, resolving staffing issues, and fulfilling personal protective equipment needs.

• Launching 31 Infection Prevention and Control interventions, which are currently in progress, with six assessments already completed.

• Continuing to identify critical 24-, 48-, and 72-hour help that homes need by ma tching qualified people and volunteers who can help with duties, including nursing support and cleaning.

• Responding to every escalated request for personal protective equipment from long-term care homes within 24 hours through the following measures:
  • A four-step process is in place to ensure an optimized regional distribution and redistribution when supplies are urgently needed.
  • Critical supply needs are escalated for provincial action.
  • Daily distribution of supply from provincial warehouses to regional sites.
  • Daily monitoring of and reporting against performance target of 100 per cent of critical need requests being shipped within 24 hours.

“Our long-term care homes continue to be the front-lines of this pandemic and we must continue to work around the clock to assist all our dedicated staff during this crisis,” Long-Term Care Minister Dr. Merrilee Fuller said.  Hospitals across the province have been working with the facilities to meet staffing needs.