Baycrest

E ver since COVID-19 hit Canada in early March, much of the country's attention, especially in the media, has been on the failures of the long-term care (LTC) system to be able to adapt to the demands of the pandemic appropriately. The fact is, 81 per cent of COVID-related deaths in Canada have occurred in LTC settings. As you know, this has led to significant public uproar and has caught the attention of all levels of government. "The pandemic didn't cause these issues, it starkly revealed many of the challenges we've had for decades." I want to share the experiences of Baycrest as an LTC facility and geriatric hospital. Out of the 1,100 beds on our campus, a total of eight patients tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic's first wave, two of whom sadly passed away. When the pandemic first hit, Baycrest was able to stave off its spread across the campus and support our residents and patients. Part of this accomplishment has to do with low community transmission rates in Baycrest's locality, but a lot of it has to do with other capabilities that we and some other organizations have rigorously and purposefully built up. Out of our staff of 2,000 employees, as of the end of August, only 21 tested positive. On a comparative basis here in Canada, these statistics show that Baycrest – along with some peers – did quite well in managing the first wave of the virus. The question I get asked most is, how did we do it? For one, we maintained a relatively stable workforce. Several staffing strategies were implemented across the campus, including the addition of new temporary positions and offering existing part-time and casual staff the opportunity to work additional hours. Secondly, because of our structured relationship with our hospital, our access to contemporary Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) policies, procedures and capabilities is more advanced than one would find at a freestanding, long-term care facility – at least here in Canada. Next, as a result of our longstanding commitment to virtual care, we have built up a stronger technology base to enable virtual healthcare delivery during the pandemic. Related to this, our access and agility with virtual technologies facilitated critical eVisits between families, patients and residents along with social and recreational programming to address the overall well-being of those for whom we care. Even though we had to practise physical distancing, we were still able to maintain social connectedness, which has proven to be a crucial component of patient and resident care during these times. In our efforts to find alternative ways to safely keep our patients and residents engaged, we established new methods of program and service delivery that positively impacted quality of life at a time when directed protocols required the cancellation of many beloved activities. As another advantage, our 472-bed nursing home consists of all private rooms. That is a critical factor in being able to control minor outbreaks. Lastly, in light of longstanding relationships we've maintained in mainland China – where we have done a lot of training, advising and consulting – Baycrest had pre-established procurement channels for personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, unlike most other LTC sector providers in Canada, we were able to access high quality and reliable PPE in a timely manner. 6 6 Brain BrainMatters Matters FALL|WINTER 2020 FALL|WINTER 2020 COVID-19 REVEALS THE NEED TO REDEFINE LONG-TERM CARE Dr. William Reichman, President & CEO, Baycrest

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