Nursing homes hiring those recently laid off to maintain staffing levels

One of the largest long-term care facilities in Atlantic Canada is trying to maintain sufficient staffing levels by recruiting people who lost their jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the Canadian economy.

Janet Simm, the CEO of Halifax-based Northwood, says staffing remains challenging as 80 people are currently off work.

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Simm says the centre’s pandemic relief team has already recruited 40 new employees, including workers from the devastated food-services industry to help the centre’s dieticians and food preparation staff.

Michele Lowe, managing director of the Nursing Homes of Nova Scotia Association, says the 78 long-term care facilities her organization represents faced staffing shortages long before the virus was first reported in the province.

Lowe says maintaining staffing levels remains a challenge, but she stresses that most facilities have their own recruiting teams in place.

Nova Scotia health officials say that as of Wednesday, there were seven licensed long-term care homes in the province with cases of COVID-19, affecting 42 residents and 23 staff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2020.

 

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