Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. has been named interim administrator of Rainycrest Home for the Aged here—and will be assisted by Extendicare in the short-term.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care took control of Rainycrest on Friday and appointed Riverside to run its day-to-day operations until a local solution can be reached.
“The ministry took this action after recent inspections and reviews of the home revealed ongoing risks to the health, safety, and well-being of residents and a failure by the home to meet ministry standards,” it said in a press release issued Friday.
Craig Sanders, who chairs the Riverside board, said the ministry contacted Riverside on Thursday afternoon to inform them of its decision.
“They asked at that time if we were prepared to have a management team in place by 5 p.m. [on] Friday,” Sanders recalled. “With it being spring break, we were largely unable to give them that promise.
“So they [the ministry] indicated to us that they would be prepared to ensure those resources would be in place, if need be, by the time they were required,” he added.
A team of about five or six people from Extendicare was in Rainycrest as of Friday to assist with the management.
“Extendicare is there to provide expertise during the transition phase,” ministry spokesperson Dan Strasbourg explained. “There was a need to have that in place in the home quickly.”
Riverside also had an on-site manager at the home beginning Friday. That manager is Norma Elliott, who Sanders said has managed Riverside’s health centres in Emo and Rainy River for a number of years.
“They [the Extendicare team] report to Norma, who, in turn, reports to [Riverside CEO] Wayne [Woods], who, in turn, reports to the Ministry of Health,” Sanders explained.
“On Friday, we met with the ministry,” he added. “They outlined to us how they saw the process going forward, and explained to us why they felt this process was required.
“They felt the situation had deteriorated to the point that in the interest of the health and safety of the residents of the home, they felt obligated to take control of the facility.
“To a limited degree, they gave us an overview of the severity of the situation and urged us to accept their help,” Sanders noted.
“The way we see it is, the individuals from Extendicare have been provided to us to act as a resource to assist us to make the transition from the prior management to our management.
“We see the relationship with them as one of them assisting us in training not only current staff, but resources that we’re planning on putting in place to take care of the management aspect of things,” he concluded.
As well, the ministry is paying for Extendicare’s services, not Rainycrest or Riverside.
“They were provided to us without cost or obligation,” Sanders said.
“If we no longer feel they’re necessary, then we’re able to terminate the relationship, although we are reporting to the ministry,” he noted. “They want to be assured we’re able to manage the facility, so they want assurances that we’re not severing the relationship with Extendicare prematurely.”
Under the Homes for the Aged and Rest Homes Act, Riverside is appointed to manage the home for a maximum of one year.
“Hopefully in the interim, as a group of communities in the Rainy River District, we can resolve the issue to everybody’s satisfaction over the course of that time,” Sanders said.
While Riverside will manage the home for up to a year, Sanders said it is likely that Extendicare’s involvement will be much shorter.
In a press release issued Friday, the Rainycrest board stated the ministry chose this option over the three management proposals that were submitted earlier this month.
“This decision came about following countless discussion with ministry officials who have not approved any of the proposals solicited by the board,” the press release read.
“The ministry has stated that they are confused as to the true wishes of the municipalities because of confusing representatives made recently.”
Under the new arrangements, the Rainycrest board will continue to exist, but will have no role in managing the home.
“We are not dissolved, but we don’t have much to do unless they call us,” said Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown, who is the vice-chair of the Rainycrest board.
“As I understand it, the Rainycrest board continues to exist primarily to retain control of the asset itself,” Sanders noted. “They have no managerial authority.”
“The board is still intact,” Strasbourg confirmed. “We appointed a supervisor to manage the home. That supervisor is accountable to the ministry, not the board.”
Ontario NDP leader and local MPP Howard Hampton said Friday he supports the ministry’s decision to assume control of the home and appoint Riverside as interim administrator.
“There are serious issues that need to be resolved at Rainycrest and this is the best short-term solution,” he said in a press release.
“Rainycrest is too valuable to our community, and provides such important care for our elderly residents, that we cannot permit a vacuum to exist in the administration of the facility,” he stressed.
Jill Colquhoun, the home’s administrator since January, 2003, had announced her retirement in January. Friday was her last day on the job.
“This is the best scenario in the interim for the well-being of the residents in this facility. I am in full support of this decision,” Hampton noted.
In its press release, the ministry also indicated admissions to Rainycrest were suspended Feb. 18—and will remain so until further notice.
Admissions at Rainycrest previously were suspended from May to September, 2003 due to compliance issues.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
