April 26, 2020 – Pickering, Ontario – Through the combined efforts of Lakeridge Health, Southbridge Care Homes, Durham Region Public Health, and the Canadian Armed Forces, good progress continues to be made to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and care for residents at Orchard Villa. Physicians, nurses, personal support workers, and other experts continue to help stop the spread of the virus and bring aid to the people most in need.
“We are putting the residents of Orchard Villa first in everything we do as we continue our work at the home,” said Susan deRyk Interim President and CEO of Lakeridge Health. “There have been many changes over the past few days, and more in the days to come as we focus our collective energy on responding to the COVID-19 outbreak here at Orchard Villa. Thanks to everyone’s commitment to serve the best interest of the residents, we will get through this together.
“The support of our partners at Lakeridge Health, Durham Public Health and the Canadian Armed Forces have made a fast and deeply appreciated impact to our operations at Orchard Villa” said Ryan Bell, CEO of Southbridge Care Homes. “We thank our partners for responding to our call and assisting our ability to deliver the care our residents and their families expect of us at a time they need it most.”
Update on the work to help the people living at Orchard Villa:
Residence Deep Cleaning Continues
To end the outbreak of COVID-19 and to create a safe environment for people living and working there, contractors are on-site to continue with the ‘deep clean’. It is expected to take a few weeks to complete this work throughout the residence. This will include every part of the long-term care and retirement home, including all shared spaces and all rooms.
Resident/Family Communication and Updates Ongoing
Lakeridge Health’s patient experience team is continuing to speak to the family member identified as the key contact for each resident to provide individualized updates and answer questions about the care being provided and activities underway.
Staffing Levels Being Further Enhanced
More highly trained clinicians and staff are onsite at Orchard Villa to provide residents the care and personal supports they need as the outbreak is being resolved. These include Lakeridge Health Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, Personal Support Workers, and Dietary professionals.
A medical unit provided by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is bringing additional resources to bolster the onsite care team. CAF representatives have already toured the residence and met with the Lakeridge Health and Southbridge Care Homes leadership teams. CAF resources include two distinct teams: a medical team and an operations team. More information on their involvement will be available in the coming days.
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Media inquiries:
Sharon Navarro
Manager, Public Relations and Digital
Lakeridge Health
snavarro@lh.ca
