Coronavirus: Markham, Ont., care home taking applications amid staffing shortage, COVID-19 outbreak

A Toronto-area home for adults with disabilities says it is working to ensure residents receive “full care and support” as it grapples with a major staffing shortage and outbreak of COVID-19.

Participation House in Markham, Ont., saw most of its staff walk off the job after they were informed about the outbreak on Thursday.

“We are actively working to ensure we have staffing coverage for specialized positions including nurses, personal support workers, and food services,” the home’s executive director, Shelley Brillinger, said in a statement released late Saturday afternoon.

“We continue to welcome applications from the community for these positions,” she said.

As of Friday, 10 residents and two staff members had tested positive for the virus. The facility is home to 42 adults with disabilities.

Laura Meffen told Global News she pulled her 22-year-old daughter, Emily Kerr, from the home on Tuesday after hearing about a potential outbreak. Kerr developed a fever that night. She hadn’t been tested as of Saturday afternoon, but Meffen said she thought she had been infected.

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Despite the situation at the home, Meffen said she doesn’t blame the staff.

“You can’t blame them,” she said.

“You can blame the system. The system has failed them and that’s really what it is. It’s the system without giving them the proper equipment.”

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On Saturday, the province said it is working to source more protective equipment for front-line workers.

Responding to a reporter’s question about Participation House and similar facilities, Premier Doug Ford said, “What happened in Markham is heartbreaking. We just can’t abandon the most vulnerable.”

Health Minister Christine Elliott echoed the comments moments later.

“It’s truly heart-breaking because there are people’s family members, their loved ones, and they are truly, truly vulnerable people,” she said.

“They are not able to help themselves and it is our duty to care for them.”

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Brillinger said Participation House has always ensured staff has personal protective equipment.