“The 14 CHSLDs in the Outaouais are ready” – Judith Daoust, directrice du soutien à l’autonomie des personnes âgées
“The 14 CHSLDs in the Outaouais are ready” – Judith Daoust, directrice du soutien à l’autonomie des personnes âgées
As the situation surrounding CHSLDs across the province has been receiving attention for the past few days, Judith Daoust, directrice du soutien à l’autonomie des personnes âgées (Director of support for the autonomy of the elderly) at the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l’Outaouais, wanted to reassure the population if new COVID-19 cases rise in the eldery residences of the region.
Judith Daoust also listed the steps that would be taken by the employees of the CISSS de l’Outaouais to inform families who would be involved in such a situation.
The directrice du soutien à l’autonomie des personnes âgées added that the CHSLDs in the Outaouais have individual protective equipment “in sufficient quantities” and that the personnel is trained to meet the needs, in particular by wearing a mask during interventions within two meters with its residents. The circulation of teams in the “hot” and “cold” zones is also limited to avoid the spread of the virus.
[** The most recent report from the Québec government revealed that the Outaouais region has 180 cases of COVID-19. The MRC Pontiac remains at 5 cases and less for the moment. No deaths have occurred in the region. *]
Systematic screening in CHSLDs
To date, the CHSLD La Petite-Nation is the only seniors’ residence in the region to have experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. Systematic screening of all employees and residents found that 7 residents and 2 employees tested positive for the virus.
In the other residences for the elderly in the region, the medical adviser of the public health department, Dr. Carol McConnery, indicated that systematic screenings will only be carried out if positive cases of COVID-19 are observed.
Note that there are now 17 employees in the health network who have COVID-19.
The CISSS de l’Outaouais indicated that it is “ready” to receive hospitalizations in its designated COVID-19 center, located at Hull Hospital. It is said that the center will be able to increase its capacity in the coming days or weeks to adapt to the flow of patients with the virus who need health care.
Regarding the 3 residences of the Katasa Group, the CISSS de l’Outaouais said they had visited them in the past few days in order to assess the well-being of the residents and the protective measures put in place.
As of April 14th, in Quebec, there are 14,248 confirmed cases of people with COVID-19. Currently, 936 people are hospitalized and 230 are in intensive care. The death toll stands at 435 in the province.
[** For any information on COVID-19, the public is invited to consult the Quebec government site at www.Quebec.ca/coronavirus. Those with symptoms or concerns about COVID-19 can contact the dedicated information line at 1-877-644-4545.*]
