Fairhaven Long-term Care in Peterborough will require all staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by early November.
The municipally run facility made the announcement on Thursday morning, noting it is following city council’s (sitting as committee of the whole) recommendation on Wednesday of a workplace COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy. Employees will have to provide proof of a vaccination or an exemption by mid-October. The recommendation will be voted on at council’s next meeting on Sept. 27.
On Sept. 9, Peterborough Public Health issued a media release that recommended mandatory vaccination policies be adopted by employers in the County and City of Peterborough.
The 256-bed facility, run and operated by the city and county, will be following suit, stating all staff and volunteers must receive their first and second vaccine shots by Nov. 5 or provide proof of medical exemption.
If the condition is not met by that deadline, Fairhaven says an employee will be placed on an unapproved unpaid leave of absence, for an “indefinite period of time,” pending further changes in provincial legislation and/or changes in Fairhaven’s immunization policy.
Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns tells Global News Peterborough there are currently 350 full-time and part-time employees and that volunteer numbers vary depending on the season and pandemic but currently there are a “handful.”
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“Fairhaven is committed to providing a safe workplace. In accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, COVID-19 is classified as an infectious disease which, by definition, presents a clear occupational health and safety hazard,” Towns said.
“Employers are obligated to take every reasonable precaution to protect workers against infectious diseases. Given recent provincial announcements regarding case projections, and proof of vaccination requirements for man indoor settings, and the PPH’s recommendations, Fairhaven has established a Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. Employees that do not disclose their vaccination status would be deemed to not be vaccinated and the attached policy would apply to them with that assumption.”
The Dutton Road facility has endured a number of COVID-19 outbreaks among residents and staff including a 40-day outbreak that began in November 2020 which went on to claim the lives of three residents. The last reported outbreak at Fairhaven was declared on May 21 involving a resident and two staff. The outbreak was lifted on June 7.
In January 2021, Fairhaven residents were the first in the health unit’s juridisiction to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Fairhaven says given the group setting and potential underlying medical conditions, residents are at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and experiencing “serious outcomes.”
“A high rate of vaccination in our home is important to protect all the people who live in, work at, and visit Fairhaven, and to help reduce the risk of outbreaks which require residents to be isolated,” Towns said.
“Isolation means residents lose in-person social interaction and the ability to engage in activities; the effects of isolation may be greater for residents who have dementia and/or a cognitive impairment.”
As of Wednesday evening, Peterborough Public Health reported 25 active cases of COVID-19 in its jurisdiction. Since the pandemic was declared, the health unit has reported 52 COVID-19 cases at long-term care facilities and 30 at retirement homes within its jurisdiction of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
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