On March 12, 2020, BC Care Providers Association corresponded with B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and requested an end of multi-site employment. Later in the month, several employers adopted their own “single-site only” protocols by working with staff. An official provincial health office directive – the single-site order or “SSO” – would shortly follow.
On April 10, Dr. Henry and the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth issued two orders restricting the movement of staff in the seniors’ care sector. These orders restrict the movement of more than 48,000 workers employed in long-term care, assisted living, and private mental health facilities.
While B.C. has been praised for its early action on ending multi-site work in numerous national news reports, some remain concerned about the strength of BC’s single-site-only “firewall.” This is because absent from the single-site orders is any language limiting the movement of health care workers between acute care hospital and long-term care homes.
Stopping the spread of the deadly virus between acute care hospitals and long-term care homes is therefore much more difficult to accomplish. To date, there are no confirmed reports of infection being spread by someone who worked in acute into long-term care.
Health officials have confirmed that three new outbreaks—at the Mission Memorial Hospital, Tabor Home in Abbotsford, and Maple Hill in Langley—are linked. This is despite the significant and ongoing efforts of government and care providers to limit the movement of staff between health care sites.
It has been confirmed that the new outbreak at Maple Hill was linked to a resident transferred in from the Mission Memorial Hospital, and not from staff movement.
As of June 18th, BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix reported that all 501 care sites under the scope of the single-site orders have now implemented single-site staffing plans. Nearly 9,000 health care workers previously employed at multiple care sites have now been assigned to a single care site.
BCCPA applauds the dedicated efforts of all involved in this significant achievement, including front-line workers, care providers, public health officials, unions, health authorities, government and others.
In a May 27th letter to Ministry of Health officials, BCCPA has requested that the government consider expanding the scope of the orders to encompass acute care hospitals in anticipation of a “second wave” of the virus.
While potentially logistically complicated, this change could be a major preventative measure in stopping the spread of COVID-19, and reduce the risk of infection for B.C.’s most vulnerable citizens.
BCCPA has not yet received a formal response to its recommendation.
