Macassa Lodge expansion aims to curb viruses by design

The city is hoping to land provincial dollars for a $27.7-million revamp of Macassa Lodge that will better shield its residents and staff from deadly pandemics.

The goal is to add a 64-bed wing of single-occupancy rooms to the city-run Upper Sherman Avenue long-term-care home

Earlier this week, public health reported a ninth Macassa resident had died of coronavirus.

We're very saddened by that," Holly Odoardi, senior administrator of Macassa and Wentworth Lodge in Dundas, the city's other nursing home, said in an interview Thursday.

We know how this virus is deadly, but staff have been steadfast."

The expansion plan calls for relocation of 44 beds in Macassa's aging D-wing to the future B-wing, which is also to have 20 new spaces.

In D-wing, which was built in 1954 and renovated in 1988, there are two residents per room separated by curtains who share washrooms.

Putting up walls, like some rooms in other Macassa wings, would leave too little space for staff to work safely with residents, Odoardi said.

About half the rooms in the 270-bed lodge are single occupancy. The others have two residents to a room, either separated by curtains or walls.

The planned addition of a 64-bed wing with modern accessibility standards, and only private rooms for greater physical distancing, is an important opportunity, Odoardi said.

What did we learn over the past 10 months, and how could we make the future of long-term-care successful for those residents that are going to call that place home?"

Premier Doug Ford has weathered criticism for not doing more to prevent a second surge of the deadly virus in the long-term-care system after pledging to wrap an iron ring" around homes after the initial crisis in spring.

There's no more opportune time" given the tragic circumstances in the past year to push senior levels of government to improve care and conditions in long-term-care homes, Coun. Tom Jackson said during a staff update on the Macassa project Thursday. Let us strike while the iron is hot."

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term-Care has proposed a funding allocation of about $5.6 million to fund Macassa's 20-bed expansion, but not the relocation of the 44 beds.

Councillors gave city staff initial approval to write the ministry back to firm up the numbers. That direction requires a final nod at council next week.

But the province's proposal still leaves the estimated $27.7-million project several million dollars short, Jackson said.

Staff, however, plan to return in May or June with a more detailed financial plan to fill any potential gap.

In Hamilton, roughly 1,850 people are waiting to get into long-term-care homes, a city staff report noted, citing information from the local health integration network (LHIN).

Of those, 411 fall into the category of crisis," which could result from the loss of a main caregiver, abuse or neglect, homelessness and wandering outside the home.

People in hospital beds who don't need the institution's level of service but await long-term-care placements are also considered in crisis."

This describes patients at the former Crowne Plaza hotel downtown, a temporary satellite site set up to give hospitals more capacity for COVID-19 admissions.

The city is aware of the need, Odoardi said, noting 20 extra beds at Macassa would help. We know that the numbers are growing."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com