Ontario not doing enough to prevent long-term care deaths, RNAO says

The Ontario government is failing to prevent deaths of vulnerable people in long-term care homes and needs to tighten restrictions in red-control zones now, says the head of a group that represents registered nurses.

Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), called on the government to lock down the province immediately in the wake of seven deaths at a long-term care home in Scarborough.

"I have never seen such disregard for the lives of residents and their staff in long-term care, and by extension, the lives of families left in anguish," Grinspun said on Sunday.

Sienna Senior Living reported on Saturday that seven residents at Rockcliffe Care Community have died since a COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the home on Nov. 2. More than half of the residents at the home have become infected with the novel coronavirus.

A total of 136 residents and 66 staff members have tested positive for the virus. One resident case has been marked as resolved. Nineteen staff members have been cleared to return to work. The home, which has 204 beds, currently has 165 residents.

Grinspun was particularly critical of Merrilee Fullerton, minister of long-term care, saying Fullerton "ought to have known" that COVID-19 would begin to kill vulnerable people in long-term care homes during its second wave given that restrictions are not strict enough. Fullerton used to be a practising doctor.

"For most people, this is unbelievable. We predicted this scenario. The minister ought to have known that things would be this bad or worse going forward," Grinspun said on Sunday.

"No one in government — the public, yes, but in government, no — should be surprised. We will see more outbreaks. We will see more tragedy," she added.

'We are not acting soon enough'

Grinspun said the association called on the government on Friday to implement an immediate 28-day lockdown of red-control zones in Ontario, with the exception of essential services and schools.

The association also asked the government to make investments in staffing of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses and personal support workers in all homes across Ontario.

And it wants the government to keep "essential care partners" in the homes and to prevent crowding in homes where a number of people share one room.

"We are not acting soon enough," she said. "It's all empty words."

Grinspun said if young men were dying, instead of elderly people, there would be protests in the streets — "no one would do that to them" — and the failure to act is clearly discrimination against older people. "It is ageism of major catastrophic proportions," she said.

"If you don't suffocate the virus, the virus will suffocate us," she added.

In an email on Sunday, Nadia Daniell-Colarossi, spokesperson for Rockcliffe, said: "Despite this extremely difficult situation, our team members have been amazingly resilient and 19 have been cleared to return to care for residents. We are in close contact with all team members who are isolating and checking in with them regularly."

Ministry says it's focused on long-term care home problems

Fullerton's office, for its part, issued a statement on Sunday saying the ministry is committed to maintaining health and safety in long-term care homes.

"We send our deepest condolences to everyone affected — residents, their families, and staff," spokeswoman Krystle Caputo said in the statement. "We want to thank every front-line health care worker and staff member for their ongoing dedication and support during this time."

According to the office, the government is focused on dealing with problems in long-term care homes.

"After decades of neglect by successive governments, we are working hard to solve the long-standing and systemic challenges facing the long-term care sector," Caputo said.

Fullerton's office said the government is also committed to providing an average four hours of direct care for each resident a day.

"COVID-19 demands a culture of continuous learning: the more we learn, the better we can plan and prepare for potential future waves."

Scarborough MPP says situation at home 'deeply troubling'

Liberal Scarborough MPP Mitzie Hunter, who represents Scarborough-Guildwood, said in a statement on Sunday that government inaction has a human cost.

"The COVID-19 outbreak at Rockcliffe Care Community is deeply troubling. My deepest condolences to the families and the care teams who are grieving the loss of their loved ones," Hunter said.

"While the staff at Rockcliffe are working with the assistance of the Scarborough Health Network and Toronto Public Health to control the outbreak, the rampant community spread in Scarborough has left multiple long-term care centres vulnerable."

Hunter said the latest provincial budget contained little in the way of funding for long-term care homes to slow the second wave of the pandemic in hotspots and the government missed an opportunity to prevent deaths.