Health and social services centers say they are not to blame in coroner’s inquest into deaths in Quebec long-term care facilities

[ad_1]

The lawyer for many health and social services centers says they are not responsible for deaths in CHSLDs in Quebec during the first wave of the pandemic.

Luc de la Sablonnière argued the argument Thursday before coroner Gehane Kamel, in charge of the investigation.

He agrees, however, that there are certainly a lot of improvements to be made.

De la Sablonnière argued that since hospitals were expected to suffer when the virus arrived, before March 9 or 10, CHSLDs were not highlighted, were not the main concern of the authorities.

He also pointed to several issues that existed even before the COVID-19 pandemic, such as that many physical facilities are inadequate and inappropriate, a point that had been raised in several testimonies.

It is a fact that CHSLDs and public health have been the poor children of the network […] for at least three decades,” he said. This same observation was made by representatives of several healthcare worker unions earlier this week.

De la Sablonnière said the structure of the network needs to be improved.

He also called for a culture change regarding CHSLDs. While they were originally designed as living environments, the gradual increase in the health problems of their clientele will force them to become above all care environments.

But even in a perfect world, he said, the situation couldn’t have been completely avoided: you can’t ignore the lack of knowledge we had about the virus. [] and we had no medicine or vaccines.

The lawyer and his colleagues also cite several interventions by their clients, such as the initiative taken by the CISSS de Laval to screen residents of the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée early on, or the placing under supervision of the Manoir Liverpool, which is understaffed, by the CISSS of Chaudière-Appalaches.

CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY

The coroners’ inquest is looking at deaths of elderly or vulnerable people that occurred in residential settings during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this first wave, from February 25 to July 11, 2020, Quebecers aged 70 and over accounted for 92% of deaths from COVID-19, according to data from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Among them, 5,211 have died from the disease.

The investigation is limited to events that occurred between March 12 and May 1, at the height of the crisis. Its objective is not to point fingers, but to make recommendations to avoid future tragedies.

Six CHSLDs and a private residence for seniors were chosen as a sample. One death was reviewed by facility, then the coroner considered provincial management of the crisis.

This week’s hearings focus on recommendations from various stakeholders.

– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on January 20, 2022

[ad_2]