Results of probe into deadly Parkside Extendicare COVID-19 outbreak coming Thursday morning

The independent office that investigated the deadly COVID-19 outbreak linked to 42 deaths at the Parkside Extendicare nursing home in Regina is releasing its findings on Thursday morning.

In late January, Saskatchewan ombudsman Mary McFadyen announced her office would conduct the probe, after health-care unions and the Saskatchewan NDP called on the provincial government to hold a public inquiry. The province called instead for an ombudsman investigation.

McFadyen is hosting a virtual news conference to share details of her report on Thursday at 10 a.m. CST. Stream the event live here.

Extendicare is a privately owned company that operates Parkside under a contract with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

The Parkside outbreak was the worst nursing home COVID-19 outbreak by far in the province. It began in November 2020, during the pandemic's second wave, and was declared over in late January 2021.

At one point, the vast majority of the building's approximately 200 residents became infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Several had to be moved temporarily to another care home.

According to SEIU-West, a union representing health-care workers at Parkside, some infected Parkside residents were released from the hospital and returned to the nursing home while still sick.

As ombudsman, McFadyen had free rein to examine whatever she wanted to, though the Saskatchewan government recommended her investigation look at several factors, including:

• Whether Extendicare staff were properly using personal protective equipment.

• How the Parkside building's condition contributed to the spread of the outbreak. The building dates back to the 1960s.

• Parkside's adherence to its contract with the SHA.

McFadyen said the probe would look at the Saskatchewan government's role in overseeing and supporting Parkside.

At the height of the outbreak, the Saskatchewan Health Authority took over day-to-day operations at the home. At that time, the SHA's chief operating officer, Scott Livingstone, said infection practices, PPE policies, low staffing levels and four-person rooms may have contributed to the massive spread of COVID-19 at Parkside.

Building flagged as problem for years

Parkside's conditions and layout had been flagged as problems for years before the pandemic brought them to the wider public's attention.

"Facility infrastructure and functionality remains a huge issue for the Extendicare sites," a 2015 Parkside inspection report stated.

Four years later, inspectors visiting Parkside noted that "the current design, with a large number of four-bed rooms, does not meet current standards of care or resident and family expectations for a home environment."

Talks between the province and Extendicare about building a new facility have stretched on for years, according to the inspection reports.

In December, Extendicare officials said areas of the home were found to have "extremely poor" air flow.

Earlier this year, the company confirmed it had begun limiting room occupancy in its homes across Canada to two residents.

"The age and structure of a care home — ward-style rooms initially with up to four residents living in close quarters — are strongly correlated with worse spread of COVID-19," an Extendicare spokesperson said.

The ombudsman can make recommendations in their final report, but they are not binding.

The results of the probe come several months after two Parkside residents' families led a class-action lawsuit against Extendicare. The suit alleged the company's conduct during the outbreak was "negligent, callous, and in total disregard for the residents' health and safety," reads the statement of claim."

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

McFadyen's findings also come after one staff member at Extendicare's Preston home in Saskatoon tested positive for COVID-19 and the home is therefore in a suspected outbreak, according to a memo to staff dated Aug. 2.

All residents were rapid tested with no positive results, but out of caution Extendicare is confining residents in the "Group 3" wing to their rooms and also halting visits for those residents, according to the memo.