Government inspection teams not being deployed to York Region long-term care homes

None of York Region's 28 long-term care homes are currently on the province's list for deployment of inspection teams, in the wake of disturbing allegations in a Canadian Armed Forces report. 

The Ministry of Long-Term Care announced yesterday it has deployed long-term care inspection teams to conduct comprehensive, detailed inspections at high-risk long-term care homes over the next 21 days.

To date, no long-term care homes in York Region are impacted, according to York Region director of communications Patrick Casey.

The CAF report released  Tuesday detailed horrific conditions in five of Ontario’s long-term care homes, including residents left in soiled diapers and crying out for help for hours.

"Today, we are taking further steps to protect our most vulnerable seniors across the province and fix the broken system we inherited. We will do whatever it takes to get the job done because as Premier, the buck stops with me," Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. "I made a commitment to our long-term care residents and their families that there would be accountability and justice after receiving the military's heart-breaking report on the state of five of our homes."

York Region Public Health is currently supporting seven long-term care outbreaks, the majority of which are in Vaughan, Casey said.

The most serious long-term care outbreak is at River Glen Nursing Home in Sutton, where, as of today, 86 residents and 31 health-care workers at the 115-bed facility are infected, and 25 residents have died. It was among the first two long-term care homes the ministry designated to be under temporary management by a hospital.

York Region Public Health continues to collaborate with Southlake Regional Health Centre, which is temporarily managing the outbreak, and River Glen Haven, Casey said.

"Daily calls to help protect the resident health and safety are held with public health staff, our associate medical officer of health, an infection prevention and control specialist, hospital representatives, home representatives and Local Health Integration Network representatives," he added.

Outbreaks at 16 long-term care homes in York Region have been closed, Casey said, and for the first time in many weeks, no COVID-19 related fatalities are being reported.  

On Monday, May 25, the last of six institutional outbreaks in Newmarket was declared closed. The 47-day virulent outbreak at Mackenzie Place Long-term Care Home had been among the worst in the region, exposing 80 of 90 residents, and causing 15 COVID-19 related deaths.

Newmarket's resolved cases skyrocketed overnight to 71 per cent of its cumulative COVID-19 cases, totalling 206 today, with the closure of the outbreak.

In York Region, 483 long-term care residents, and 241 health-care workers, have tested positive for COVID-19, and 130 residents have died.

The local public health unit is also proactively working with long-term care homes, retirement homes and congregate living settings that do not have an outbreak to provide infection prevention and control preparedness inspections, Casey said.

"We will work collaboratively with hospitals and Local Health Integration Networks to ensure on-going support to these facilities," he said.

Infection prevention and control assessments are conducted either by public health or through a joint collaboration between public health and the hospital.

Starting today, the government's long-term care inspectors will be doing expanded, stringent inspections over a two-week period at six homes in Toronto, Pickering and Mississauga, including those captured in the military report, according to the ministry.

The government is also inspecting other long-term care homes that are currently considered high-risk, and working with hospitals and other partners, each of these homes are required to submit a plan that details how they intend to return to acceptable levels of care immediately.

"What we saw in the reports from the Canadian Armed Forces was gut-wrenching and appalling," said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, minister of Long-term Care. "Our inspectors are professionals like nurses, dieticians and physiotherapists and they will stop at nothing to ensure all high-risk homes are quickly returned to places of safety and stability."

York Region Public Health is reporting nine new COVID-19 cases May 28, the lowest number of daily cases since four cases were confirmed March 22.

The number of hospitalized patients in York Region is 63, with 15 cases critically ill in ICU. Three Newmarket residents are hospitalized, none in ICU.

As of 4:30 p.m. May 27, Southlake Regional Health Centre is reporting three COVID-19 patients in ICU, and 16 COVID-19 positive patients being cared for in an inpatient unit. The number of inpatients under investigation for COVID-19 is 34. Deaths total 20.