After two months of being under outbreak and 51 deaths, the Ontario government has put St. Mary’s General Hospital in charge of the Forest Heights Long-Term Care home in Kitchener.
“The safety and well-being of residents and staff in long-term care have always been and will continue to be our number one priority,” Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton said in a statement. “I am confident that the talented staff at St. Mary’s General Hospital and Forest Heights will work together to contain COVID-19 and stabilize the home.”
The hospital will take over managing the home from Revera Living, one of Canada’s largest long-term care operators.
The province says “despite receiving hospital support for weeks, Forest Heights has been unable to contain the spread of COVID-19.”
“The impact of COVID-19 has been incredibly challenging and heart-breaking for residents, families and staff of Forest Heights,” St. Mary’s General Hospital president Lee Fairclough said in a statement. “We are committed to working closely with them to support and effectively manage the response to an outbreak that has proven very complex and difficult to control.”
The hospital will initially manage Forest Heights for 90 days but the province says that could be renewed for another 90-day period if necessary.
Over the weekend, Waterloo Public Health announced that a 51st resident of the home had suffered a COVID-19-related death, and on Monday, more staff members and residents had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In total, 175 residents and 69 employees have tested positive at the home which has been under outbreak status since April 1.
Global News has reached out to Revera Living for comment on the situation.