Press Release
Earlier this month, Riverside Health Care announced plans to enter into a three-year agreement with Extendicare Assist at Rainycrest Long-Term Care Home in Fort Frances.
Riverside finalized this agreement with Extendicare Inc. on Thursday, Oct. 12.
On Monday, Oct. 15, the first two consultants from the Extendicare Assist team–regional director Brad Hall and long-term care consultant Cathi Allison–arrived on-site at Rainycrest as part of a six-week operational review.
Both are registered nurses and have held multiple positions in long-term care, including Director of Care, Nursing Consultant, MOHLTC Compliance Advisor, Administrator, and Director of Clinical Operations.
In the coming weeks, additional consultants will be joining us, including Andrea Loft, Lyn Fabricius, and Donna Larkin.
Loft is director of operations at Extendicare, who also has worked in positions similar to those identified above for Hall and Allison.
Fabricius, national director of Infection Control & Prevention at Extendicare, is a certified public health inspector with more than 35 years’ experience in community health and environmental health, having worked in local health units and for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in Ontario.
Larkin, a dietitian consultant, is a registered dietitian with several years of experience in food service management and clinical nutrition in hospitals and long-term care settings.
During this six-week operational review process, the team’s management services will focus on a 360-degree view of all care areas in the home.
Due to this, Riverside has been granted an extension by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in meeting its next compliance due dates.
This extension–until Nov. 5–will allow Extendicare an opportunity to assess Riverside’s current compliance progress and request a further extension, if necessary.
Once the operational review has been completed, Extendicare will make recommendations to Riverside based on their findings.
Then under our direction, they will begin to provide management services for all resident care areas (i.e., nursing, dietary, programs, etc.), as well as guidance and support for our back office functions.
We firmly believe that by hiring Extendicare Assist to support our management of the home, we will meet our critical need to re-open to admissions.
“Extendicare Assist is pleased to be working in partnership with Riverside Health Care to help them close gaps, solve problems, [and] assist with staffing needs and recruitment while advancing appropriate best practices and policies in keeping with ministry standards,” said Loft.
“Our goal is to work with the home to reach a level of excellence which is part of the long-term vision not only for Rainycrest but for all of Riverside,” she added.
“We would like to assure all residents and their families that the highest quality of care continues to be provided to the residents at Rainycrest,” Loft stressed.
“We look forward to growing our collaborative partnership with Extendicare as we continue to strive towards a timely goal of re-opening Rainycrest to admissions,” said Riverside president and CEO Ted Scholten.
