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Vol. 11, Issue 19
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A panel of particpating agencies answers questions from the media on Monday, June 8. From left are Bruce Krauter, Chief Essex Windsor EMS, Kristin Kennedy, VP Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive, Erie Shores HealthCare, Dr. Ross Moncur, Chief of Staff and interim CEO, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hilda MacDonald, Mayor of Leamington, Alberto Bernal-Acero, Mexican Consul, and Nelson Santos, Mayor of Kingsville. The photo on the right shows the testing stations set up in the gym at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Complex. Sun photos
Recreation Complex set up to test agri-food workers
By Mark Ribble LEAMINGTON — The newly named Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre is home this week to a COVID-19 Assessment Centre revolving entirely around the agri-food industry. With the death of two young offshore workers last week in Windsor-Essex, a collaborative effort has been made between a number of agencies to get approximately 8,000 farm workers in the region tested. The collaboration, spearheaded by Erie Shores HealthCare, also includes Essex Windsor EMS, the Municipality of Leamington, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, Home and Community Care ESC/Ontario Health West Region, Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Windsor Essex County Health Unit. The gymnasium at the complex has been converted into a swabbing and testing clinic with social distancing instructions posted everywhere.
There are 10 testing stations in the gym and workers will exit the bus, enter the gym, register and be tested. Anyone exhibiting symptoms or who appears to be ill will be taken aside and assessed, then sent to hospital if necessary. Testing began Tuesday morning and is expected to conintue into next week. Migrant workers will be encouraged to sign up for Erie Shores HealthCare’s new Migrant Worker Health Aid Card while they are there, so that it may expedite future visits. Erie Shores HealthCare’s Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive, Kristin Kennedy, addressed the media on Monday, alongside Essex Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter, Erie Shoress HealthCare Chief of Staff and interim CEO Dr. Ross Moncur, Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald, Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos and Mexican Consul Alberto Bernal-Acero. Essex Windsor EMS Deputy Chief, Justin Lammers and ESHC’s Kristin Kennedy conducted a short tour of the facility
with the media prior to the press Krauter realizes that there is conference. a job to be done and credits Erie Dr. Moncur spoke to the need Shores HealthCare with getting for a dedicated testing facility things rolling. for the agri-food sector, after so “Kudos to the Erie Shores many weeks have passed. HealthCare team and every“We’ve all learned a lot after one who has stepped up to the all of these weeks,” he said. “We plate,” he said. “They’ve not just will all look back and see what hit the ball, they’ve hit the ball we could’ve done better.” out of the park.” As for testing capacity, Dr. The Assessment and TestMoncur said there are over 8,000 ing Centre for COVID-19 at Erie workers in the region and they Shores HealthCare remains open feel they can test up to 500 per for regular business. day. “We have plenty of testing supplies,” he added. Essex Windsor EMS continue to do clinical follow-ups for those who test positive. Last week’s initiative of providing clinical follow up care by EMS and ESHC to farm workers, continues to pay dividends. Bruce Krauter summed it up best when he talked about the collaboration between the multiple agencies. “The collaboration has been amazing,” he said. “Other EMS Chiefs in Ontario have contacted me to see if they can Justin Lammers and Kristin Kennedy led a tour of the Assessment Centre. replicate this process.”
Windsor-Essex excluded from province’s Stage 2 start-up ESSEX COUNTY — Windsor-Essex has been excluded from the province’s Stage 2 opening, which will begin on Friday, June 12. Nine other regions of Ontario, including Sarnia-Lambton, have been dealt a similar fate. In Chatham-Kent, businesses there have the green light, provided they fall under the Stage
2 plan and open with restrictions in place. Businesses in Wheatley who fall under ChathamKent jurisdiction, may be able to take part in Stage 2, but it’s best to check with those businesses to see what their plans are. Stage 2 gives the green light to personal care services such as hair salons, barbers, nail salons and tattoo parlours. It also
allows restaurants, bars and food trucks to open their patios and serve dine-in customers outdoors. Shopping malls may now open with some restrictions. Outdoor-only recreational facilities and training for outdoor team sports, with limits to enable physical distancing, may begin to re-open. Water-based recre-
ational activities, such as public pools, splash pads and pools located in hotels can also open with some restrictions. Water parks, slides and wave pools are currently not allowed to open. The good news, is that all across Ontario, the new limit of people at a gathering is now 10, up from five. In addition, all places of worship in On-
tario may open with strict social distancing protocols in place and no more than 30 per cent capacity in the building. The province will announce each Monday, which regions will be able to move on to Stage 2. As Windsor-Essex waits for the green light, businesses are busy preparing for that possibility.