Health Minister Tyler Shandro. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Province announces $170-million to support continuing care centres hammered by COVID-19

May 19, 2020 | 3:42 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The Government of Alberta has announced significant funding for facilities such as long-term care homes, designated supportive facilities, and seniors’ lodges.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced $14-million per month, or $170-million for the year, to help operators and residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It will cover enhanced staffing, as well as costs for cleaning supplies and loss of accommodation revenues due to vacant beds and rent freezes, and’ll be maintained throughout all stages of Alberta’s relaunch, until the public health orders are lifted, and the threat of COVID-19 has passed.”

He adds that approximately 70 per cent of all deaths related to COVID-19 in the province are for seniors.

“These residents are vulnerable to the pandemic and they will continue to be until there is an effective vaccine to be found. It’s essential that we ensure these facilities have the tools and the resources that they need to protect the residents and their staff.”

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For enhanced staffing, this includes paying registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and health care aides, as well as to augment staffing levels when healthcare workers are sick or self-isolating.

Jennifer McCue, Board Chair of the Alberta Continuing Care Association, says this support is greatly needed.

“We know from our many conversations with continuing care operators that they are struggling to meet the challenges of this unprecedented pandemic. Operators are facing rising costs to maintain operations, comply with provincial health orders and keep Albertans safe. In places where outbreaks have occurred, added precautions to respond to COVID-19 have increased operators’ incremental costs and they have no way to raise revenues to cover them.”

There are approximately 37,000 residents of these seniors’ residential facilities at any one time.

The funds Shandro announced are retroactive to March 15, 2020.

“This funding increase is the right thing to do for seniors,” says Shandro.