ARTHUR – With no active cases among residents or staff, the COVID-19 outbreak at Caressant Care Arthur is finally over.
The long-term care outbreak, which spread quickly throughout the facility and infected 57 residents and 63 staff, leading to 19 resident deaths, was declared over late in the day on March 2.
“With the outbreak now over, [facility] residents can start to resume normal day-to-day activities,” stated North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) president and CEO Stephen Street.
“I would like to thank the staff, physicians and our rural health care partners including Groves Memorial Community Hospital, EMS, Family Health Teams, Canadian Mental Health Agency, and Ontario Health for their assistance in responding to the outbreak. ”
Street also thanked Caressant Care Arthur long-term care residents “for their patience and understanding while we worked with public health to navigate changes to their living environment.”
The outbreak, declared on Dec. 26, was deemed over by NWHC officials, in consultation with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH).
NWHC, which operates hospitals in Palmerston and Mount Forest, took over operation of the long-term care home on Jan. 13.
The arrangement, which was requested by Caressant Care, will remain in place until early April.
Officials say NWHC worked with the home to:
- ensure all care needs of residents are being met;
- stop the COVID-19 outbreak;
- stabilize staffing;
- communicate to all families of Caressant Care residents; and
- provide vaccinations to all residents and staff.
“I am so grateful to our staff, Wellington Healthcare Alliance, our families, and other care partners for coming together to help Caressant Care Arthur Nursing Home and our residents in this time of need,” stated Jim Lavelle, President of Caressant Care Nursing and Retirement Homes LTD.
“I also want to express my deepest sympathies to the families, and to the staff, who consider our residents part of their extended family, on the passing of their loved ones.
“Now is the time to begin the healing process as we continue to care for our residents.”
