Letter to Premier Kenney - Where are the Rapid Covid Testing Kits for LTC facilities?

 Monday December 28, 2020

Dear Honourable Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta and Honourable Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health.

Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro, I am writing to you both again about your lack of response to the Covid situation of our province. I have sent you both emails and formal letter via email expressing my concerns on how you both have been handling the Covid response:

• Premier Kenney I wrote you a letter on Saturday December 5, in regards to your lack if Covid response despite surging cases, hospitalizations, increase ICU admissions as well as deaths. 

• I wrote an email to Dr. Hinshaw on November 7 asking for more Covid restrictions, which you both were cc’d on.

• November 16, I emailed you Premier Kenney asking for the need of more Covid restrictions to stop the surge of Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths. 

• On November 19 & November 20 I emailed you Premier Kenney asking where is the rapid testing you promised us in the Spring that you would have ready for the second wave arrives for Alberta’s Community Care Facilities. Both Minister Shandro and Dr. Hinshaw were both cc’d in that email. 

- On December 7, I emailed Minister Shandro expressing my concerns of Alberta’s Covid response, which Premier Kenney and Dr. Hinshaw were cc’d on. 

Do you know how many responses I received addressing and explaining to me the actions you are going to put in place to flatten our curve? ABSOLUTELY ZERO! Do you how that makes me feel Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro? I feel like a nobody. You say you care about Albertans well-being, but your actions is what is showing me the truth. My concerns and my voice are purposely being ignored by you Premier Kenney, leader of the UCP government and Minister of Health Tyler Shandro in regards to the Covid-19 situation in my province of Alberta. How shameful and disgusting that I feel this way about my provincial government. 

I live at AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care facility. My facility is situated in the Upper NE quadrant of Calgary, which has one of the highest per capita in Alberta of active Covid cases. My facility contains all levels of institutional community care living (Assisted Living, Supportive Living with/without dementia, Long term care, Long term care - Mental Health and Hospice). AgeCare-Skypointe is a 6 floor residence housing about 350 residents plus all staff who are taking care of our basic daily needs. Since the pandemic began in March, my facility has had 2 Covid outbreaks. One lasting from March 9, 2020 until May 12, 2020, which we were lucky that it was contained to only 4 staff members. We are now in our second Covid outbreak, that started on Sunday October 11, 2020 and is still ongoing. I have been quarantined in my room (350 sq ft) since October 11 and still am today as I write this letter. I have not seen a loved one in person since October 5, 2020. I will continue to be in quarantine until early January because 4 new Covid positive cases were reported on my wing this past week. Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro, it will 4 months in which myself and all my fellow residents at AgeCare-Skypointe have been quarantined and been denied seeing in person visiting with their loved ones. Have you considered any of the Albertans living in these facilities during your recent Covid-19 decision making? By your actions, I would say “No”, we are not on top of that list. It is your UCP supporters and large corporations that you are focused on. 

On Saturday December 26 and Sunday December 27, Jason Herring from Post Media (Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun) wrote an article about my facility AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care facility. Here is the link to his article, https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/i-feel-helpless-agecare-skypointe-now-linked-to-more-than-200-covid-19-cases-16-deaths. Do you know how this makes me feel reading about my home? Sad, disappointing, frustrated, and yes hopelessness of when is this Covid outbreak going to end. The staff who cares for me are exhausted, working double shifts because there isn’t enough staff to cover those staff at home isolating or in quarantine. If it wasn’t for their teamwork our floors would be understaffed and not being able to care of like they want to do. AgeCare-Skypointe Management are trying their best, finding casuals to help cover shifts of infected staff, while trying to keep us healthy and safe.  How can you stop a contagious virus spread when it’s contracting onto asymptomatic staff? Staff who are being tested twice a week, why does it take 2-4 days to receive back their results? Asymptomatic staff are working hard caring for their residents not knowing they are spreading the virus. It’s devastating for them when they learn 3 days later they infected their residents. Can you not see why I have emailed and sent you letters to you both Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro? We need your help. More residents and staff are getting sick with Covid. Residents are being sent to the hospital for treatment of Covid. My fellow residents are literally dying from Covid in the hospital or at my facility. Our facility lost 4 residents in a 24 hr period on Saturday December 26! Since October 11, we have now lost 19 residents due to Covid complications! How many more will need to pass away before you send help to my facility as well as for all community care facilities who have active Covid outbreaks? Where are these rapid Covid testing kits for LTC facilities you promised us?

When I wrote you on Saturday December 5, 2020 Premier Kenney; I told you that as of December 4, we had 73 positive cases (37 residents (including 7 deaths) and 36 staff members. Now, as of December 27, we have 213 positive Covid cases (129 residents (including 19 deaths) and 93 staff members.) So in a period of 3 weeks, we have 92 more residents who have contracted the Covid virus; 12 more residents have passed away and 57 more staff members have contacted Covid-19. Currently, 45 staff members who are in quarantine or isolation and unable to work. Imagine what my facility’s situation would be if you Premier Kenney had given the rapid Covid testing to LTC facilities in early December instead of YYC and the land border with Alberta/Montana? How many lives would have been saved, how many less hospitalizations would we have? Why isn’t your UCP government as well as Alberta Health Services helping my facility and the many other community care facilities in Alberta facing current Covid outbreaks of the most vulnerable citizens in the province?

Premier Kenney, in the Spring time, you told Alberta citizens that you will be prepared for the predicted “second wave” for community care facilities because you will be providing rapid Covid testing to be used for screening staff members, residents and visitors into our facilities. Knowing that I live in a LTC facility, this gave me comfort that you were planning ahead. Unfortunately Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro, you lied to me and to the Alberta citizens about having rapid Covid testing available in the fall for community care facilities. Ottawa deployed 5.4 million rapid Covid tests. On November 24, 2020 - Ontario Premier Doug Ford was given 98,000 ID tests which were deployed to LTC facilities as a part of their Covid screening protocols. First time, I heard about a pilot rapid Covid testing was to occur at YYC and the land border Alberta/Montana starting on December 7, 2020. This was announced during Dr. Hinshaw’s Covid briefing by Premier Kenney. So this was 14 days after Premier Ford’s announcement which was deployed to LTC facilities. Why did it take the UCP government 2 more weeks to announce deployment of the rapid Covid testing kits? Premier Kenney what is the rationale for choosing places of travel instead of LTC facilities for the rapid Covid testing kits? Looks to me, you chose money over Alberta’s vulnerable citizens in your decision making. On December 17, Minister Shandro announced the rapid Covid testing will begin in LTC facilities on Friday December 18 in Edmonton and begin Monday December 21 in Calgary. I’m thinking great, maybe my quarantine could be ending soon. Nope, this isn’t going to happen and do you know why Premier Kenney? My facility has yet to receive any official word when the rapid testing kits are to arrive at my facility. Again, you lied to me Premier Kenney and Minister Shandro. How do you expect me to trust your word, when you continue to tell Albertans false information at your Covid briefing announcements. 

Premier Kenney, Minister Shandro and the UCP government has failed me as well as all residents in community care facilities along with their staff members. Pure and simple. Not to mention the acute care hospital patients and healthcare staff members. You have not been giving the tools needed to our provincial healthcare system, the community care facilities as well as those in communal facilities like homeless shelters and those in jail/remand centres to fight against the Covid virus. Sorry to be blunt, from where I stand, the UCP government is more concerned on how Covid restrictions and responses are impacting their UCP supporters than those who are the most vulnerable citizens in our province. I am sorry gentlemen but that is not how ones should be governing. It should be all people are to be treated equally no matter their political stripe. PLEASE send the rapid Covid testing kits to AgeCare-Skypointe and the other LTC facilities on outbreak in Calgary and the rest of the Alberta. 

I hope you are listening to my concerns and my feelings of frustration in your Covid-19 response in Alberta as well as in our community care facilities in Alberta. 

Sincerely yours, 

Laura Jean Rutherford, CHIM

Chair, AgeCare - Skypointe, Residents and Family Council 

Cc’d:

Honourable Erin O’Toole, Federal leader of Conservatives Party of Canada, Leader of Oppositon

Honourable Rachel Notley, NDP Leader of Alberta, Provincial Leader of the Oppositon

Honourable Josephine Pon, Alberta Minister for Seniors and Housing 

Honourable Prasad Panda, Alberta Minister of infrastructure, MLA Calgary-Skyview

Honourable Rajan Sawhney, MLA Calgary-Northeast

Dr. Deanna Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer 

Honourable David Shepherd, Alberta’s NDP Health Critic

Honourable Lori Sigurdson, Alberta’s NDP Senior and Housing Critic 

Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Minister of Finance

Honourable Jagmeet Singh, Federal Leader of New Democratic Party

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Medical Officer 

Honourable Patty Harju, Federal Minister of Health 

Honourable Heather McPherson, MP NDP Edmonton - Strathcona

Honourable  Michelle Rempel Garner, Federal CPC critic for Health 

Honourable Don Davies, Federal NDP critic for Health

Honourable Travis Toews, Alberta’s Minister of Finance & President of Treasury Board

Honourable Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment and Parks, House Leader

Mr. Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary

Counsellor George Chahal, Ward 5, Counsellor for City of Calgary 

Dr. Hasmukh Patel, CEO, Interim President & COO, AgeCare Corporate 

Dr. Kabir Jivraj, Managing Director, AgeCare Corporate 

Mr. David Weyant, Chair for Alberta Health Services Board

Dr. Verna Yiu - President/CEO of AHS  

Dr. Sid Viner - Calgary Zone Chief Medical Director 

Dr. Nicholas Etches, Interim Calgary Zone Lead Medical Officer 

Ms. Janice  Harrington,  Alberta Health Advocates, Health Advocate

Dr. Simon Dawes, Medical Director AgeCare-Skypointe 

Mr. Amir Rajani, General Manager, AgeCare-Skypointe 

Ms. Patricia Blais, Director of Care, AgeCare-Skypointe