Hamilton Public Health issues 31 orders related to COVID-19 risk to long-term care facilities

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Published April 16, 2020 at 12:24 am

Hamilton Public Health Services (PHS) said Wednesday (April 15) that they’ve issued 31 orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to local long-term care facilities.

Hamilton Public Health Services (PHS) said Wednesday (April 15) that they’ve issued 31 orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to local long-term care facilities.

In a press release, PHS says they undertook ‘proactive’ assessments of Hamilton long-term care and congregate homes as part of their response to COVID-19.

“Audits and assessments of these facilities were completed… over the last several weeks, as well as operator education, regarding practices that are needed to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of COVID-19 within these facilities,” the release says.

“As a result of this work, Public Health Services identified 31 locations where Section 22 Orders under the Health Promotion and Protection Act (HPPA) were appropriate and have been issued.”

Under section 22 of the HPPA, the Medical Officer of Health has the power to issue orders to address potential risks associated with the spread of communicable diseases.

“Orders were issued to those facilities not adhering to prescribed infection prevention and control practices and that pose a risk to the further spread of COVID-19 in Hamilton,” the release said.

The release did not specify the ‘risks’ or the facilities who have been issued orders.

“As a Public Health Service, we are taking proactive actions with congregate settings in Hamilton to strengthen our ability to reduce the spread and loss of life from COVID-19,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health, in the release.

“These additional infection control and management measures are being used to protect our health-care system’s capacity to manage this pandemic and ultimately to prevent further loss of life.”

Richardson said at Wednesday night’s virtual Town Hall meeting that for the most part, the facilities are working ‘very hard’ to become compliant and some have already achieved compliance.

PHS is also working closely with long-term care residences and their staff to establish protocols to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the facilities and beyond, Richardson said.

All but two of Hamilton’s 10 COVID-19-related deaths have been associated with long-term care homes where outbreaks of the virus have been declared.

Of Ontario’s 385 deaths associated with the virus, a majority have been at long-term care facilities.

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