{"id":12214,"date":"2020-04-19T09:15:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-19T13:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/?p=12214"},"modified":"2020-05-20T19:08:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T23:08:12","slug":"manoir-du-lac-ceo-points-to-staff-shortages-underlying-health-conditions-after-dozens-of-covid-19-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/manoir-du-lac-ceo-points-to-staff-shortages-underlying-health-conditions-after-dozens-of-covid-19-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Manoir du Lac CEO points to staff shortages, underlying health conditions after dozens of COVID-19 cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EDMONTON —
\n\tThe owner of a northern Alberta retirement home taken over by the government following dozens of COVID-19 cases and “inadequate” care during the pandemic is defending his business.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tGene Zinyk, president of Integrated Life Care Inc. \u2013 which owns and operates Manoir du Lac Retirement Home in McLellan \u2014 says he does not believe it’s the facility’s fault five of 62 residents have died from the virus.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe pointed to old age and underlying health issues as factors, but as of Friday, a total of 37 others at the site \u2013 including 11 of 70 staff \u2013 had also tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\n\t“It\u2019s very unfortunate that the COVID is responsible for the passing of their loved one,\u201d Zinyk said. \u201cBut be assured that we had no control over the epidemic coming into our building and we were trying to do everything we could to preserve the life of all of our residents and make our facility safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Zinyk, administration learned on March 17 some staff had been infected with COVID-19. He told CTV News Edmonton a dozen employees were sent home to quarantine. More staff didn\u2019t show up to work.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the end of March, AHS told his staff they could no longer work at more than one facility.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy his estimate, there were only about 20 of 60 employees still working at one point.<\/p>\n

\n\tZinyk said the director of care, a registered nurse, even moved into the building to help with the duties when the facility \u2013 four hours north of Edmonton \u2013 couldn’t hire more people.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe reported to him on the status of Manoir du Lac; Zinyk was never on site.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo the end result was that because of the shortage of staff, I\u2019m sure that a lot of these protocols were not met 100 per cent,” he said.<\/p>\n

\n\t“But I want to assure you we knew of all of the protocols and we did our darndest to make sure that were followed.”<\/p>\n

\n\t‘INADEQUATE’ CARE PROMPTS AHS TAKEOVER<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tOn April 1, Manoir du Lac stopped welcoming visitors and isolated residents to their rooms. Group activities ended, and meals were delivered to rooms on trays.<\/p>\n

\n\tZinyk said people were screened and had their temperature taken as they came into the building \u2013 but that without having received a written report on the government’s audit, he does not know which protocols the health department found the facility was not following.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlberta Health Services took over Manoir du Lac on Friday.<\/p>\n