Interview With Minister of Long Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton

Wednesday, 15 April 2020 17:10

The Ontario Minister for Long Term Care Health Dr. Merrilee Fullerton. (submitted)

The Minister of Long Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton called into Heart FM today to explain the COVID-19 Action Plan: Long Term Care Homes.

ONTARIO - The Province of Ontario unveiled the COVID-19 Action Plan: Long Term Care Homes today.

It is a robust action plan to protect the most vulnerable and stop the spread in our Long Term Care Homes. In addition, the province has issued a new emergency order restricting long-term care staff from working in more than one long-term care home, retirement home or health care setting. These measures are being taken on the advice of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health.

The COVID-19 Action Plan: Long-Term Care Homes adds critical new measures to prevent further outbreaks and deaths from COVID-19 in long-term care homes, including:

Aggressive Testing, Screening, and Surveillance: Enhancing testing for symptomatic residents and staff and those who have been in contact with persons confirmed to have COVID-19; expanding screening to include more asymptomatic contacts of confirmed cases; and leveraging surveillance tools to enable care providers to move proactively against the disease.

Managing Outbreaks and Spread of the Disease: Supporting long-term care homes with public health and infection control expertise to contain and prevent outbreaks; providing additional training and support for current staff working in outbreak conditions.

Growing our Heroic Long-Term Care Workforce: Redeploying staff from hospitals and home and community care to support the long-term care home workforce and respond to outbreaks, alongside intensive on-going recruitment initiatives.
Additional measures under development will help to ensure preparedness and respond to the situation as it evolves, including improving isolation capacity at long-term care homes.

Within less than 48 hours, the government will immediately act to deliver:

- Enhanced testing and surveillance for symptomatic residents and staff and those in contact with persons confirmed to have COVID-19.

- Testing of asymptomatic residents and staff in select homes across the province to better understand how COVID-19 is spreading.

- Risk and capacity assessments for all homes.

- Working with Ontario Health, the Ontario Hospital Association, and public health units to assemble infection control and prevention teams and additional supports.

- Enhanced guidance on personal protective equipment and continued priority distribution to homes.

- Enhanced training and education to support staff working in outbreak situations; and redeploying hospital and home care resources into homes.

The Ontario Minister for Long Term Care Health Dr. Merrilee Fullerton joined us live on Heart FM today to discuss the action plan. You can listen to her full interview below.