Lyonel Doherty, Times-Chronicle
Amidst calls to upgrade McKinney Place to prevent COVID-19 exposure, Interior Health is looking at changes.
“Interior Health is aware of the physical challenges at McKinney and is reviewing those specifically,” media relations told the Times-Chronicle.
This statement comes in the wake of a former health care worker’s calls to upgrade/renovate the care facility in Oliver to provide better protection against COVID-19 exposure.
Concern was raised last year after 17 residents died from the virus. At the time, Interior Health acknowledged the problem was McKinney’s building design that did not allow single bed occupancy. Instead, residents share rooms in the aged facility that leads to challenges in infection control.
Interior Health says it prioritizes projects based on need.
“The process includes building new beds and replacing beds at older facilities. Single rooms are the standard used for any new or replacement beds.”
According to Interior Health, it has invested $1.33 million in McKinney Place over the past five years.
Oliver town council is supporting the call for change at McKinney by writing to government ministries and Interior Health.
Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger said he is strongly in favour of providing single rooms in all long-term care facilities in the province including McKinney Place and Sunnybank Centre in Oliver. But he acknowledged that making funding a priority from the province may take time.
Schwartzenberger said council will be considering resolutions for this year’s UBCM convention.
“I would like council to put forward another resolution that references long-term care facilities to keep the issue in front of the provincial government.”
Council’s previous resolution sent to UBCM stated that the significant coronavirus death rate of long-term care residents is attributed to residing in facilities with shared rooms/spaces, inadequate ventilation systems and limited access to isolation rooms. Therefore, it requested government build all new long-term care facilities with single room options to ensure that the spread of COVID-19 and other flu-like viruses are minimized.
In addition, council requested that all current long-term care facilities be renovated to accommodate patient care in single rooms.
