Donna Duncan, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA), released the following statement related to today’s announcement on COVID-19 vaccine requirements in long-term care:
The Ontario Long Term Care Association, representing 70% of the province’s long-term care homes, welcomes today’s announcement by the Ontario Government mandating COVID-19 vaccines for staff, volunteers, students and support workers in long-term care. This is an important measure to protect the health and safety of long-term care residents, and the communities that support them, amidst the pandemic. OLTCA maintains that extending this mandate across the health care system is required to ensure the existing health human resources crisis will not be worsened by staff moving to other organizations from long-term care homes with mandatory vaccine policies.
Ontario’s long-term care homes will work with the Ontario Government and public health authorities to implement this policy with urgency. OLTCA first called for broad mandatory vaccination from the government on August 10, with many homes demonstrating leadership by establishing their own mandatory vaccination policies. Homes with existing policies will align them with policy, including tightening the timeframe as needed for full vaccination to November 15.
Vaccines are safe and effective, and their uptake across society is critical to ending this devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Residents, their families and staff, volunteers, students and support workers themselves deserve certainty around their safety while receiving or supporting someone with care. Homes that are struggling with lower rates of vaccine uptake among their teams will require more support, in partnership with public health authorities and the Ontario Government, to overcome barriers and support staffing plans as needed. Ontario’s long-term care homes continue vaccination campaigns including onsite clinics, empowering peer ambassadors, and providing significant education campaigns to counter misinformation.
source: media release
