An official of a long-term care home, in the midst of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak, is disputing claims of improper staffing.
The coronavirus outbreak at Southbridge Roseview has claimed the lives of 12 residents since it began on November 17th.
Southbridge spokesperson Candace Chartier tells us staffing levels at the Roseview facility have not fallen below 33 percent as claimed by the union.
“We’ve checked our records and we were fully staffed before the outbreak and in fact, we have increased our staffing levels since the beginning of the outbreak,” says Chartier.
Chartier admits rumours like that are a challenge to keep in check adding “Sometimes when you get negative media and misinformation, it really brings the morale down and we’re just trying to get them (the staff) through a difficult time.”
The Southbridge official also disputes any stories they have turned down help from the Red Cross.
She points out the facility is reaching out to public health officials, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and the Local Health Integration Network on a daily basis.
“We feel there are other homes out there that can use Red Cross resources because we have onboarded so many staff,” explained Chartier.
