St. Mary’s General Hospital to Temporarily Manage Village Manor Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak
On November 22, 2020, the Medical Officer of Health issued two Public Health Orders (under Section 22 & Section 29.2) to Village Manor and St. Mary’s General Hospital. This action will allow St. Mary’s to take over management of the residence during its COVID-19 outbreak and implement all necessary measures to manage the situation and ensure the safety of residents, staff and the community.
Currently, there are 19 residents and three staff who have tested positive, including three residents who are currently hospitalized, and no deaths. Immediately following issuance of the Orders, a team from St. Mary’s went on site to begin their work.
St. Mary’s will continue its work with partners across the health system to lead the management response of this outbreak and prevent further exposure and transmission of COVID-19 to residents and staff. Alongside the team at Village Manor, St. Mary’s will implement what is needed and support residents and staff to manage through the outbreak.
“From the very beginning of this outbreak, health system partners and their resources have ‘wrapped around’ this home to help it manage its COVID-19 outbreak,” said Region of Waterloo Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang. “However, it has become clear that we need stronger and quicker action, which is why this Order has been issued.
“I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all those at the home, as well as St. Mary’s Hospital and partners such as the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN Home and Community Care Team, Dr. Sharon Bal, Community Concepts and Meals on Wheels, for their very valued partnership in assisting the home at this important time,” continued Dr. Wang. “This is a truly collaborative effort.”
“We know that outbreaks like this are difficult to manage and have seen this in other care settings,” said Lee Fairclough, President of St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Coming together to support the residents and dedicated staff at Village Manor will help to hopefully reduce the impact of the virus on them and the community. Thank you to all that that have stepped forward rapidly this past week and weekend to support this.”
This show of support from both the health system and community partners has become common practice in our community’s efforts to navigate the pandemic.
St. Mary’s will ensure regular communication to residents of Village Manor and their families and will also provide updates on our website. Click here for the news release from Waterloo Region Public Health. Residents and families who have questions are welcome to call St. Mary’s Patient Experience Department at 519-749-6578, ext. 6867.
For media information, please contact:
TJ Flynn, Acting Director Corporate Communications, Region of Waterloo tflynn@regionofwaterloo.ca
Arianna Ongaro, Communications Specialist, St. Mary’s General Hospital aongaro@smgh.ca