Neck guard sales jump after Sask. hockey player slashed by skate
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More adult players are now investing in the protective equipment.
Matt Love said he simply doesn’t want to see history repeat itself.
The NDP’s seniors critic held a Zoom media conference Tuesday, outlining some of the concerns he has over the for-profit model of Extendicare Preston in Saskatoon, along with conditions in which seniors have been living within the facility.
“Saskatchewan families are getting tired of seeing the same story repeat itself. We’re all outraged at the deadly outbreak at Extendicare Parkside (in Regina) and we’ll continue to press for a full accounting of what took place there,” Love said.
The Extendicare Parkside outbreak resulted in around 200 cases and dozens of deaths.
Love called upon the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to immediately intervene and take over management of the Preston facility.
The outbreak involving Saskatoon’s Extendicare facility is linked to three deaths, according to a press release from the NDP on Tuesday. The SHA initially declared the outbreak on Dec. 10.
Love also said that similar CEO reports from the SHA have concluded in the past that Parkside and Preston deal with similar issues.
“(The Saskatchewan Party) has received report after report chronicling the unacceptable and dangerous living conditions at Extendicare Preston which date back to 2013,” he said.
Love said those issues include overcrowding, including four-bed rooms for clients, chronic understaffing, hygiene concerns, and infrastructure and HVAC issues.
“This appears to be history repeating itself,” Love commented.
“This government needs to show that it understands that lives are literally hanging in the balance. We need to see this government is ready to get serious right now, before it’s too late, because it’s already too late for many families, and many seniors in this province.”
Love said he has not seen any evidence that the for-profit model is working in the province, or that it is of any benefit for patient care. He added he hasn’t seen any evidence that Extendicare has changed its operations to fix the outstanding issues.
SHA in ‘daily contact’ with facility, no plans to take over
During Tuesday’s provincial media conference on COVID, SHA CEO Scott Livingstone was asked if there were plans to take over operations at the facility.
“The (SHA) has been working closely with local leadership with Extendicare and working to manage the situation. We have not entered into a co-management agreement with Preston Extendicare in Saskatoon, but we do remain in daily contact with their leaders and are supporting their situation,” he said.
Livingstone added the SHA’s local teams are being given daily updates on the situation, and added staffing at the facility is not inadequate at this time.
He said the SHA has been in the facility, supporting the use of proper personal protective equipment. The SHA has also loaned equipment to Extendicare Preston, according to Livingstone.