Update on our COVID-19 response
04/24/2020
Outbreaks have now been declared at both our Élisabeth Bruyère and Saint-Louis Residences (Bruyère’s long-term care homes). All family members and loved ones of our residents have been notified and our thoughts are with those who are recovering.
Working collaboratively with Ottawa Public Health, we have enhanced testing at both of our long-term care homes for our residents and employees.
The results of these testing exercises will be shared publicly via Ottawa Public Health’s website.
We will continue in our commitment to prevention at Bruyère and we wanted to share some of the enhanced prevention measures that we have in place. We are prepared to implement any and all new measures as we continue in our response to COVID-19.
Screening
We have been taking the staff and residents’ temperatures twice a day and screening them for respiratory symptoms. This screening now includes atypical symptoms like loss of smell and taste. We will also adjust our front-door screening so that every person coming into the residence is screened for typical as well as atypical symptoms.
Staffing
A new ministry order states that, as of April 22, healthcare workers must work in only one healthcare organization. We started surveying our employees a few weeks ago and we are happy to report that the staffing levels at our residence have remained at pre-pandemic levels. Planning ahead, we are continuing our recruitment. We are also fortunate to have redeployed Bruyère employees who are helping with essential tasks like assisting in dining rooms and laundry distribution.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
We rolled out universal masking in early April. This means that everybody at the residence had to wear a mask and other protective equipment when in contact with the residents. We are exploring innovative solutions and working with our regional peers to source and conserve PPE supplies.
Research
Researchers from the Bruyère Research Institute have been evaluating long-term care data during this pandemic. Their report states that infection prevention is the most "most effective strategy to reduce overall fatality." We are proactively acting on the majority of their recommendations, and have been for a few weeks.
This pandemic is highlighting systematic issues within long-term care in the province. We will continue to advocate and to work with our peers and our provincial association, AdvantAge Ontario, to achieve sustainable change in the sector.