Experts are calling on the government to hire more trained workers for long-term care homes to better protect vulnerable residents from COVID-19’s second wave.

COVID-19 has strained the health-care sector — and some are worried that there aren’t enough PSWs in training to deal with the crisis.

Ontario is reaching a danger point in COVID-19 testing with a huge backlog, Health Minister Christine Elliott said Thursday, as the province recorded another 538 cases and Premier Doug Ford gave personal support workers a long-promised raise of up to $3 hourly.

A program to augment Ontario’s health-care workforce by certifying foreign-trained nurses to become personal support workers (PSWs) came grinding to a halt as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Now, as Ontario scrambles to handle a surge in cases, the province is doing little to revive the program.

For 10 years, Ontario’s long-term care homes have been tipped off when government inspectors were coming, allowing the homes to prepare for what are meant to be unannounced visits, the head of the province’s association for personal support workers told investigators earlier this month. Read Full Post

   OPSWA’s President, Miranda Ferrier, met with Premier Ford, Minister Fullerton, Minister of LTC, and Minister Elliott, Minister of Health, to discuss issues in the PSW Profession.

Personal support workers have been overlooked and overworked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigrant PSWs share their experiences fighting on the frontlines.

Originally posted by: Global News TORONTO — Ontario’s overworked and underpaid personal support workers will soon be receiving government assistance, the province’s premier said Thursday as he heaped praise on a group who have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 in long-term care homes. Read More

An employee at the Peter D. Clark long-term care home has died of COVID-19, City of Ottawa officials say. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC). View full article @ CBC.ca ‘They’re exhausted. They are absolutely burnt out’ A personal support worker at the city-run Peter D. Clark long-term care centre has died after contracting COVID-19, the city said Wednesday. City …

Staff member at city-run nursing home dies of COVID-19 Read More »

A Special Message to OPSWA and our members from Premier Ford