WRHA PCH COVID-19 Status Update

January 15, 2021

The WRHA’s long-term care program funds and oversees the operations of 39 long-term care facilities, including 38 personal care homes (PCHs) and the St. Amant health care facility, in the Winnipeg health region.

The WRHA has implemented and is managing a comprehensive system-wide approach to protect and care for residents and staff at Winnipeg PCH facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks. This involves careful, fluid coordination with WRHA clinical management, PCH management and staff, regional programs, and partners such as the Canadian Red Cross.

*Please note new updates will be published to this page twice weekly.

Current status:

As of 9 am, Jan. 15, there were active COVID-19 outbreaks at 22 of Winnipeg’s 39 long-term care facilities.

An outbreak is declared following the identification of one positive case in either a resident, a staff member or an external service provider (example: agency staff).

We are pleased to advise the COVID-19 outbreak at Simkin Centre was declared resolved as of Jan 12.

An outbreak may be declared over after two incubation periods (28 days) following isolation of the last case. Where the outbreak involves only staff cases, it may be declared over after two incubation periods (28 days) following the last positive staff person’s last day at work while infectious.

Of the 22 facilities with current outbreaks, 14 had zero active resident cases as of 9 am, Jan 15.

There are 50 active COVID-19 cases among PCH residents and 31 among PCH staff in the Winnipeg region as of Jan. 15. This represents the fewest active case totals for both PCH residents and staff in the Winnipeg region since mid-October. We are cautiously optimistic that the trend towards a reduction in cases will hold, as more and more residents and staff members are vaccinated every day, and as the overall number of COVID-19 cases in our community stabilizes. Nevertheless, outbreaks at Winnipeg PCHs continue and we are monitoring the situation closely.

Larger-scale outbreaks are currently being experienced at:

• Southeast PCH

For a complete list of facilities with active COVID-19 outbreaks, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

A message to our staff, residents, PCH partners, and our community:

The staff, managers, facility operators, and leadership in our long-term-care sector grieve deeply and sincerely for the loss of PCH residents who contracted the virus, and as fellow citizens of Winnipeg we share in the pain experienced by so many families in our community.

Staff, including redeployed staff, at Winnipeg PCHs continue every day to step up and tirelessly ensure the care and safety of residents, despite the unprecedented and difficult situation. They are tired and they are worried, yet they persevere, and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude for their efforts.

Managers in Winnipeg’s personal care homes and long-term-care facilities, and the leadership of our long-term-care program, continue every day to consider best practices and implement measures according to clinical experts and established protocols. We will employ every feasible tool at our disposal to ensure outbreaks can be mitigated and controlled to the best of everyone’s ability.

Measures underway:

COVID-19 vaccination:

The Winnipeg component of Manitoba’s provincewide campaign to vaccinate PCH residents began this week with Oakview Place and Tuxedo Villa successfully completing their vaccination of residents. Other PCHs in the Winnipeg region scheduled for vaccination clinics in the coming days include Charleswood Care Centre. Planning for the upcoming vaccination schedule for other PCHs is underway.

The province aims to immunize nearly 10,000 people living in PCHs across Manitoba. Residents will receive their first dose of vaccine within 28 days of the campaign launch, as long as the vaccine continues to be delivered to Manitoba by the federal government as expected. The schedule will then be immediately repeated to provide the second dose to all PCH residents.

All eligible residents and personal care homes will be included in the campaign if they consent to be immunized. The vaccine will be offered at all sites, regardless of whether the PCH has had an outbreak, is having an outbreak or has never had an outbreak of COVID-19. Individuals in personal care homes will be offered the vaccine even if they have previously tested positive for COVID-19, as long as they do not have any other medical conditions that would exclude them from immunization.

Staffing:

As of Jan. 15, there are 31 PCH staff from the Winnipeg region who are actively COVID-positive. At some sites with outbreaks, staff planning remains challenged.

The overall staffing situation at Winnipeg PCHs has improved in recent weeks. While some sites with outbreaks continue to identify staffing needs, staffing has largely stabilized across the region, and the number of PCHs requesting CIVP support and additional staff support has decreased. We continue to monitor staffing closely.

The WRHA established a PCH nursing staff Float Pool for PCHs. The use of the float pool has improved staffing supports particularly on evenings, nights and weekends.

Urgent PCH staffing needs continue to be filled with redeployed resources available from our Community Health Services areas and the acute-care facilities. Over the past several weeks, more than 1,600 shifts at Winnipeg PCHs have been filled in this manner.

The Provincial Recruitment and Redeployment Team (PRRT) continues to review and process applications for uncertified Health Care Aides – both those enrolled in the new Red River College (RRC) training program, and those not requiring training (e.g. those who are internationally trained or students in health sciences faculties). More than 100 people from the RRC program have already been hired.

On-site supports to PCHs and resident care:

WRHA clinical leads are currently providing, or have provided, support to the following Winnipeg PCHs: Maples PCH, Holy Family Home, Bethania PCH, Fred Douglas Lodge, Park Manor Care, Oakview Place, Convalescent Home of Winnipeg, Charleswood Care Centre, West Park Manor, Poseidon Care Centre, Southeast PCH, River East PCH, Lions PCH, Concordia Place and Beacon Hill Lodge.

These site leads work with management at PCH facilities to provide oversight and guidance, and issues/ concerns are communicated to WRHA Long Term Care leadership regarding resident/ clinical care aspects, staffing resources, infection prevention and control practices, and family communication.   

Public health officials have introduced rapid testing for asymptomatic personal care home staff working in three licensed personal care homes across the province, including Donwood Manor and Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg, as part of a pilot project around testing in long-term care facilities.

This pilot project began the week of Dec. 21. An evaluation is taking place for a potential expansion of staff asymptomatic testing. Staff participate on a voluntary basis, with testing performed once a week. More than 700 staff at Donwood Manor and Deer Lodge Centre have participated thus far.

The Canadian Red Cross continues to provide infection prevention and control assessments and guidance to PCHs. Red Cross onsite support concluded at Holy Family Home on Jan. 11, and at Charleswood Care Centre on Jan. 14. The Canadian Red Cross is expecting to begin providing onsite support soon at Southeast Personal Care Home and Poseidon Care Centre. Exact dates and details are still to come. We are grateful to the Canadian Red Cross for the support they have provided over the past several weeks, and for the support they continue to provide.

PCHs continue to access the WRHA community intravenous (CIVP) team, palliative care team, regional infection prevention and control staff, and respiratory therapy specialists to support COVID-19 residents with higher care needs. Over the past several weeks, the CIVP team has provided hydration to nearly 600 residents at Winnipeg PCHs.

Regular physician coverage and medical monitoring of residents continues to be provided onsite and virtually at the priority sites.

N95 fit-testing within licensed Personal Care Homes and Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities continues.

Facility-specific information:

Current priority site is Southeast PCH.

The WRHA is also closely working with, and monitoring the situation at, Charleswood Care Centre, Concordia Place, River East PCH and Beacon Hill Lodge.

Management and Oversight

Daily situational update calls with the management teams of all PCHs and the WRHA long-term care program have been established to share information, progress and challenges in real-time. These calls will continue on a daily basis over the holiday season.

The WRHA clinical leads providing oversight at PCHs in greatest need have daily status updates with WRHA leadership, to ensure resources are proactively directed to areas of greatest need. These clinical leads will be rotated to other sites or provide support to a cluster of sites, as needed and as the outbreak situation across WRHA PCH sites evolves.

Winnipeg PCHs currently experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks (as of Jan. 15, 2021)

• Actionmarguerite St. Vital
• Beacon Hill Lodge
• Bethania PCH
• Calvary Place
• Charleswood Care Centre
• Concordia Place
• Convalescent Home of Winnipeg
• Deer Lodge Centre (LTC)
• Fred Douglas Lodge
• Golden Links Lodge
• Heritage Lodge
• Holy Family Home
• Lions Personal Care Centre (Sherbrook Street location)
• Oakview Place
• Park Manor Care
• Poseidon Care Centre
• River East
• Southeast PCH
• St Amant (LTC)
• St Norbert PCH
• Tuxedo Villa
• West Park Manor