Vaughan's Villa Leonardo Gambin ordered to improve COVID-19 care or pay fines

Woodbridge Sienna long-term care home battling its fourth outbreak

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2021
Kim Zarzour

Another Sienna Senior Living home in York Region has come under a public health order for failing to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

Villa Leonardo Gambin, in Vaughan, is battling its fourth outbreak of the coronavirus.

The first outbreak was declared April 1 and lasted 80 days, infecting 45 residents and 35 staff.

Twelve residents died.

Two more outbreaks were declared in July and October, in which several health-care worker were infected but no residents.

This latest outbreak at the Woodbridge long-term care home on was declared Nov. 20.

As of Dec. 31, there were 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents and 23 cases of COVID-19-positive employees.

York Region public health inspections revealed the home had inadequate senior leadership (supervisory staffing) to ensure appropriate adherence to infection prevention and control measures.

Public Health also reported inadequate and/or insufficient infection knowledge and processes to protect residents.

Dr. Karim Kurji, York Region's Medical Officer of Health, deemed Sienna in need of assistance from York Region Public Health, Mackenzie Health Hospital, Public Health Ontario and the Local Health Integration Network to provide expertise to contain and stop the outbreak.

An emailed statement from Sienna said the company is “working around the clock with our partners to care for residents and support team members -- We appreciate their support as we work together to fight this terrible virus.”

The statement said Villa Leonardo Gambin has fully implemented isolation precautions with care, meals and activities provided in residents’ rooms.

The public health order issued, effective Dec. 31, says Sienna must ensure Villa Leonardo Gambin has the equipment, supplies, services or associated tools required to monitor, respond to and control the virus.

Sienna must also ensure Villa Leonardo Gambin has sufficient staffing to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including supervisory staffing on all units to re-enforce infection prevention and control measures, as well as training for all staff and essential visitors on point-of-care risk assessment and the appropriate use of personal protective equipment.

These practices must be monitored, the order says.

Failure to comply could lead, on conviction, to a fine of up to $5,000 for every day or part of each day on which the offence occurs or continues.

The Sienna statement said that it is “incredibly challenging” to fight COVID-19 when the virus circulates at high levels in the community.

Vaughan has been among the hardest hit municipalities throughout the pandemic.

“We have created and implemented a robust action plan that has been approved by York Region Public Health, the Central LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) and Ministry of Health and have taken concrete steps to ensure additional supervisory staff are on site."

Sienna is working with Mackenzie Health and York Region Public Health to strengthen education and training around infection prevention and control, it said.

“We understand the situation is difficult for residents and stressful for families and have communications leads on site to connect directly with families to provide daily updates about their loved one.”

A similar public health order was issued for Sienna Living Langstaff Square Care Community, at 170 Red Maple Rd. in Richmond Hill, Nov. 22.

Another York Region Sienna home, Woodbridge Vista in Vaughan, required extra assistance when an outbreak in June led to the Canadian Armed Forces being called in to assist.

Sienna did not reply to questions about why the company has experienced such a high number of outbreaks requiring public health intervention during the pandemic. Nor did it respond to questions regarding criticisms levied against Sienna for paying dividends to shareholders while receiving provincial pandemic funding assistance -- and while residents and staff in their care died of COVID-19.

Under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, Medical Officers of Health have the power to issue orders requiring a public hospital or institution “to take any actions specified in the order of the purpose of monitoring, investigating and responding to an outbreak of a communicable disease at the hospital or institution.”