There are 12 LTC outbreaks in Ontario with > 50 residents affected. Over 1000 people. Acute medicine units are running closer to full capacity. Some situations are under control but some are not, and some our finest HCW supported their transfer to acute care this weekend
In the era of distancing, increased social controls. This is not going away - this is our second wave. This has the ability to take many lives and cripple our acute care services. This is paying no respect to those who built our province with their work. Change is needed
1) Paying healthcare providers outside of hospitals a competitive wage - not $4 an hour. Would you expect someone to work evenings, weekends, holidays, away from their families, with a risk of COVID-19, for less than $20 an hour? Of course staffing is an issue.
2) Getting rid of cohorting in LTC. The experiment is over. The virus spreads like fire through institutions, and 4 bed rooms are gasoline. If this means creating space, using uncoventional spaces like hotels, by all means. Every resident should have access to a single bed.
3) Asymptomatic testing of staff and residents regularly. While some outbreaks have been mitigated by heroic efforts, it is often too late for others. No group deserves asymptomatic testing more than these insitutions.
4) Stable supplies of PPE, IPAC training and support. Again, this requires supply chains met, prioritization, wages, technology, and resources to achieve this. Public health is stretched incredibly thin for supporting our communities. This help needs to come from the province
Moving vulnerable people from their institutions to acute care due to staffing and outbreaks is a threat to the safety of a generation we owe a debt to, increases infection burden within acute care hospitals, lowers capacity to move forward, and hemorrhages health care $$$
