Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced on Sunday, November 8, 2020, that he is calling for an investigation into the COVID-19 outbreaks at Maples and Parkview Place personal care homes. Both facilities are owned by Revera and both have a large number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
On Friday evening paramedics were called to Maples PCH when the situation at the facility became overwhelming.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) crews assessed a total of 12 residents of which three were transported to the hospital. Two of the residents who were already being treated for end of life issues passed away between the time paramedics were called in and when they arrived according to reports. The remaining residents were treated within Maples PCH.
A person purported to be a WFPS paramedic took to social media and told a version of the events during the response that varied significantly from what Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) officials reported about the incident.
The social media post claimed the patients who had passed away had been dead for hours as rigidity and lividity had already set in. Some of the patients assessed where just hungry and didn’t have the ability to feed themselves. The poster said that some residents were dehydrated and were given IV fluids.
The province responded on Saturday by sending in a Rapid Response Team of community paramedics to provide enhanced monitoring and assessment of residents.
Early Sunday morning just before 1:00 am and again at 3:18 am paramedics were called to transport two residents from Maples PCH to hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
“Manitobans need answers,” said Friesen. “There are questions that arise in this sort of situation, and these questions must be answered.”
The investigator, an independent expert, will be tasked with looking into what led up to the situations at both the Maples and Parkview Place. The will then report back to the minister with advice on how to prevent similar situations from occurring.
The minister also noted that he has directed the WRHA to bring in additional supervisory measures at Maples PCH and to reach out to other personal care homes to ensure they are ready for quickly changing conditions within their facilities.
© News4.ca 2020
