By Bryan Borzykowski

More than four years may have passed since COVID-19 fi rst ravaged long-term care facilities, but the devastation and chaos will forever be seared in Robert Scott’s mind. “It was overwhelming – we went from one to 150 cases in a matter of days,” says Scott, who was Assistant Director of Nursing at the Downsview Long Term Care Centre and now oversees the facility.

While no one was prepared for the pandemic, long-term care homes (LTCs) were particularly caught off guard. These aren’t just healthcare facilities, after all – “these are homes to residents,” says Scott.

Thanks to an innovative program spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Humber River Health, long-term care homes will have a much better chance of keeping outbreaks under control. The program, now called the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hub and Spoke Model, has infection prevention and control experts from the hospital working with 11 LTCs in the community to reduce and contain infections.

The program was nameless back in April 2020, when Humber, seeing the devastation COVID-19 was causing within LTCs in its community, began going into homes to assess how they were responding to the pandemic. “At the heart of this is safety for the residents,” says Joan Osbourne-Townsend, Director, Infection Prevention and Control at Humber.

At the time, Humber – now one of more than 25 “hub” hospitals in the province that work with “spokes,” which include LTCs, retirement homes and other congregate living settings – provided Downsview and others with education and training around hand hygiene, proper use of gloves and masks, environmental cleaning, vaccine rollouts and much more. That work continues, along with facility audits, onsite assessment, outbreak prevention and management, and coaching and mentorship. Each LTC has an IPAC lead who works with Humber physicians and staff to implement protocols and procedures.

While COVID-19 is still an issue in LTCs, Humber now helps its partners deal with all types of infectious diseases, such as urinary tract infections, respiratory viruses and proper use of antibiotics. The program has been a success, says Dr. Ian Brasg, an infectious diseases physician at Humber. “When we have respiratory outbreaks in our homes they’re brought under control very quickly,” he says.

These LTCs can also handle a variety of medical issues, putting less pressure on hospitals. “That’s been one of the biggest successes,” says Scott, who adds that Humber has become a valuable partner to Downsview and the community at large. “Before, if a resident had the flu or another illness, we’d send them to the hospital. Now we do everything in our power to keep them in this home.”

Stat: 9% lower risk of mortality related to COVID at LTCs, as a result of IPAC  – Source: The Public Health Agency of Canada

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