Union asks Ford to intervene at long-term care home with Hamilton’s largest outbreak
The union representing workers at Grace Villa is urging the province to intervene after another resident died and a staff member was hospitalized in the largest outbreak in Hamilton.
In a letter addressed to Premier Doug Ford on Dec. 10, SEIU Healthcare, the union representing 183 workers at the long-term care facility, asked the province to have local hospitals take control over two Ontario homes, including Grace Villa, using its powers under the Long-Term Care Homes Act.
We're calling on your government to immediately issue management orders ... to have a local public hospital take over operational management, like Hamilton Health Sciences for Grace Villa Nursing Home, for example," reads the letter from Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare.
The home on Lockton Crescent became the centre of the city's biggest outbreak this week after its cases surpassed those at Chartwell Willowgrove. On Nov. 28, Hamilton public health ordered Grace Villa to allow staff from Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) to monitor, investigate and respond to the outbreak.
The death of a woman in her early 90s on Dec. 8 brings the number of deaths to 10 in the outbreak, which began Nov. 25.
The number of cases rose from 87 on Dec. 8, to 112 on Dec. 9 and to 126 on Dec. 10, including a sharp rise in staff cases on Thursday from 35 to 50. One of the staff members has been hospitalized, the letter notes.
The city's COVID-19 dashboard reported the number of cases among Grace Villa residents dropped from 77 to 76. This was due to a test that was positive and the retest was negative," said Jacqueline Durlov, a public health spokesperson.
SEIU Healthcare has made similar requests from the province in the past.
Our members working on the front line in these facilities are raising serious concerns of management's ability to support them through ongoing outbreaks," the letter adds. The weight of the pandemic on staffing levels is severe."
In an interview, Stewart said the pandemic is taking a huge physical and emotional toll on workers.
What's happening here now at Grace Villa, and we're seeing similar stories across the province, is that these workers are literally burnt out," she said. I don't even know how much longer ... they can really carry the weight of this pandemic."
They continue to watch the seniors that they love die, and they have to prepare their bodies and transport them out," she added. We have to remember that these people are human and the toll that this has had on them is unbelievable."
Grace Villa CEO Mary Raithby did not respond to The Spectator's questions about the outbreak and how the home is responding.
HHS is committed to supporting Grace Villa's staff and residents through this challenging time," said an email statement from Veronica Magee, a Hamilton Health Sciences spokesperson.
The statement noted that the hospital is improving infection prevention and control practices and training in the home, testing staff and residents, and providing direct care to residents." HHS did not respond to a question about how many staff have been sent to the home, and how many patients from Grace Villa are in hospital.
The statement also said the hospital is making ongoing infection prevention and control assessments and adjusting their practices according to the situation.
Maria Iqbal's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories focused on aging issues. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com