Woodbridge long-term care home with COVID-19 outbreak sends 18 residents to hospital

A long-term care home in Woodbridge has sent 18 residents, most with COVID-19, to hospital because they needed more care than the facility could provide, the company that runs the home said Sunday.

Sienna Senior Living confirmed on Sunday that the residents of Woodbridge Vista Care Community were taken to hospital on Saturday. Sienna Senior Living runs a 224-bed facility in Woodbridge.

"These residents were transferred from Woodbridge Vista Care Community as the level of care required for them exceeded that provided at a long-term care home," Natalie Gokchenian, spokesperson for Sienna Senior Living, said in an email.

"The majority of the residents transferred were confirmed to have COVID-19."

Gokchenian said the home worked with William Osler Health System in Brampton and the Oakville and Milton sites of Halton Healthcare Service to transfer the residents.

"We are grateful to our hospital partners for their support and we will continue to work together to ensure the needs of our residents are met," she said.

A total of 83 residents and 26 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17 have died at Woodbridge Vista Care Community of the virus, according to SEIU Healthcare, the union that represents health care workers at the home.

The union called on the Ontario government on Sunday to take administrative control of the home, saying its members have serious concerns about the facility.

"Staffing levels are dangerously low and temporary/agency workers are not able to fill the gap. As a result, staff have lost confidence in management's ability to oversee the crisis," Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare, said in a news release on Sunday.

Stewart noted the union has called on the province in recent weeks to take over long-term care homes when necessary.

"It is critically necessary you again exercise that authority and immediately intervene at Sienna's Woodbridge Vista Care Community. Action is required for the health and safety of everyone at this nursing home," Stewart said.

The province now has a total of 27,859 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which includes 2,266 deaths and 21,810 cases marked as resolved.