Officials at Fairfield Park in Wallaceburg have issued a statement, after the use of masks at the home was called into question by Unifor National.
Fairfield Park responds
“Our long-standing supplier delivered surgical masks in a box that was mislabeled,” Tracey Maxim, administrator at Fairfield Park, said in a written statement sent to the media on Friday, February 5, 2021.
“Despite assurances from the supplier that these masks were the appropriate masks for use in long-term care homes, as soon as this was brought to our attention this week, these masks were immediately pulled from use in our home.”
Maxim added: “We have since been in touch with our supplier who has provided a report to our team that the masks were safe for medical use and meet all requirements set out by Health Canada and the Province of Ontario. We have shared this report with Unifor and our internal health and safety committee. It is unfortunate that Unifor has chosen to leave this information out of their news release.”
Maxim said in an effort “to be extra cautious”, Fairfield Park continues to suspend use of these masks while they conduct an internal investigation about the efficacy and safety of these materials.
“We have been in discussions with Public Health and Chatham Kent Health Alliance regarding the safety of these masks, Maxim said.
“We welcome any reviews of our infection prevention and control measures from the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health, and/or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been working closely with our Ministry partners, Public Health and our local health system leaders to manage our response to COVID-19.”
Maxim added: “We have implemented and continue to follow all new and ongoing infection prevention and control measures as directed by the province. These ongoing measures include the use of appropriate personal protective equipment at all times, enhanced cleaning measures, twice daily symptom monitoring of all residents and staff, and isolating residents to their rooms with in-room meal service.”
Maxim said in addition, Fairfield Park is conducting weekly testing of residents and staff.
“Finally, we have received clinical support from Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, EMS, as well as
other healthcare partners,” Maxim said.
“We are grateful for the assistance from our medical community and we are confident that we are doing everything we can to ensure the continued health and safety of everyone at Fairfield Park.”
Maxim added: “We understand the immense trust that family members place in us when their loved one is in our care and we understand our role in providing a safe and fulfilling workplace for our staff. This is a responsibility we take seriously, and I want to thank our entire care team who continue to show dedication and compassion to our residents during this unprecedented time.”
Union questions mask use
Unifor National officials said in a press release issued on Thursday, February 4, 2021 that long-term care workers continue to face disrespect by private long-term care employers.
“The pandemic has exposed the chronic and dangerous situations in our nursing homes,” stated Jerry Dias, President of Unifor, in a press release.
“Long term care staff are exhausted. They go to work every day hoping they won’t contract COVID-19 and that they and their residents will be safe. They trust that the employer will have proper personal protective equipment to keep them safe.”
Unifor National officials say long-term care employers have received government funding to ensure employees’ and residents safety and the Ministry mandates that all employees must wear, at a minimum, medical masks when at work.
However, Unifor National officials say Fairfield Park in Wallaceburg, purchased non-medical grade masks for its employees and only removed them after the union did their own research to disprove the employer’s claims that the masks were government approved.
“Fairfield Park is in a terrible outbreak, and this owner put their own workers at risk while the virus spread through the building infecting residents and staff,” said Tullio DiPonti, President of Unifor Local 2458, in a press release.
“Premier Ford should pull their license for contributing to the spread of this terrible virus.”
Unifor National officials say they have called attention to the staffing crisis in long term care in the province.
“How do we attract workers to this sector when they are not certain their employer is doing everything in their power to keep them safe and provide them with appropriate PPE,” DiPonti added.
“These same workers go to the bargaining table and face pages of concessions, even after working through a pandemic.”
Unifor National officials say many private long-term care providers contract services to bargain a collective agreement, typically tabling concessions to sick leave and benefits to force a settlement, hoping bargaining committees are unwilling to have these concessions go before an arbitrator.
“This is exactly the trap that our members at Brouillette Manor and Fairfield Park are stuck in,” DiPonti added.
“Imagine after working the front-lines of this pandemic in a nursing home, and then you go to the bargaining and our committee feels a complete lack of respect for the work that they do by a Toronto based lawyer. The employer doesn’t seem to have learned anything from the tragedy that has unfolded in this sector.”
Contract negotiations opened with Brouillette Manor and Fairfield Park in October 2020, union officials say, adding they were disappointed that the employer rejected the “union’s modest changes to the collective agreement” and even more disappointed that they are not taking their obligation to protect workers and residents seriously.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy, who advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
Local health officials dispute the claims by the union
Jeff Moco, a spokesperson for CK Public Health, told the Sydenham Current that Dr. David Colby, Chatham-Kent’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, was “satisfied with the types of PPE provided” to the staff at Fairfield Park.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance officials had also confirmed the masks used at Fairfield Park are the same as what is used in the hospital.
“We continue to work with Fairfield by providing infection prevention and control support – this week we have deployed a full time infection prevention and control practitioner,” hospital officials told the Sydenham Current.
“We also continue to provide ongoing housekeeping support and direct patient care support through deploying personal support workers to the home. Our health system partners at the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network home and community care, Alzheimer Society and Chatham-Kent emergency medical services have also sent staff to assist with the outbreak.”
CKHA officials added: “We continue to offer our support to the home during this difficult time, including support for the mental health and wellbeing of Fairfield’s staff and physicians.”
COVID-19 outbreak continues
As of Friday evening, there are 76 active COVID-19 cases linked to the outbreak at the Wallaceburg home.
The active resident cases at Fairfield Park is 34, with 41 active cases among staff and one essential caregiver, Fairfield Park officials say.
CK Public Health officials say a total of 88 positive COVID-19 cases have been linked to the outbreak, which was first declared on January 10, 2021.
