Northwood to increase testing following 36 new cases of COVID-19 at Halifax campus

The president and CEO of Northwood, Janet Simm, announced Monday that the nursing home is increasing testing and its resources in the fight against COVID-19 after 36 new cases have been identified at its Halifax campus.

According to Simm, there are now a total number of 152 cases, including 111 cases involving residents and 40 involving staff. The facility also has nine individuals in recovery.

There also hasn’t been any change in the number of deaths at Northwood, which still stands at five.

READ MORE: Northwood residents being moved to hotel amid spike in COVID-19 deaths

At an online press briefing, Simms said that Northwood is taking steps to isolate the virus and address the concerns from the facility’s families.

“With the number of staff we have and the growth of the number of cases, we had to reach out,” said Simms. “We can’t manage on our own.”

As a result, Northwood has been increasing their resources by getting additional help from the Nova Scotia Health Authority, VON, Shannex and others.

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READ MORE: Number of coronavirus cases rises at Halifax’s Northwood Manor to 115

Simm said during this time it has received equipment from Shannex for their recovery unit, and donations, such as masks, continue to come in from various facilities and organizations.

“Hospital staff have been coming to treat residents on-site,” she said. “We have increased our testing and it’s happening on-site with additional resources.”

Simm said Northwood’s staff have been doing everything they can to take care of residents “while being beyond exhausted.”

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She also acknowledged that the nursing home hasn’t been doing enough to communicate with families, so from now she said there will be updates provided to the families daily, not just weekly.

The facility has also created an email account for families to ask questions, which will be provided on its official website soon.

“It’s a time of understanding and compassion. We want Northwood families to know that we will do everything we can to take care of your loved ones,” Simm said.