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COVID-19 outbreak declared over at Owen Hill in Barrie

Eleven residents of the long-term care home in downtown Barrie died from the virus in recent weeks
2020-04-26 Owen Hill Care Community RB 2
Owen Hill Care Community is located on Owen Street near downtown Barrie. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

The COVID-19 outbreak has been declared over at Owen Hill Care Community, where 11 residents have died from the virus in recent weeks. 

The outbreak had initially been declared on April 24. 

Sienna Senior Living, the Markham-based company that operates the Owen Street facility, issued a statement on the situation at the local long-term care home. 

"Our deepest thank you and gratitude go to all who have worked so hard for the past few weeks through the devastating impact of this outbreak," says the release, which is not signed by a company official. "This milestone is a direct result of the heroic and inspiring efforts by the Owen Hill team working in close collaboration with (the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit)."

Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe-Muskoka region, recently reported that 48 positive cases had been detected at Owen Hill Care Community. Of those, 21 were staff members and 27 were residents. 

While the outbreak has been declared over, Sienna Senior Living says it remains "extremely vigilant," adding all public health directives remain in place to ensure the safety of residents and staff members, including the use to personal protective equipment and testing protocols.

"We are all grieving and offer our most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the residents who passed away from this virus," the statement added. "They are first and foremost in our thoughts and hearts as we mark this notable milestone."

Sienna Senior Living has several long-term care facilities in Ontario and British Columbia.

Locally, the company operates Woods Park Care Centre in Barrie, Spencer House in Orillia, Bradford Valley Care Community in Bradford, and Creedan Valley Care Community in Creemore. It also operates several retirement residences, including The Waterford on Edgehill Drive and Woods Park on Lillian Crescent in Barrie.

Earlier this week, a Canadian military report was released after taking a closer look at long-term care homes in Ontario that had been hardest hit by COVID-19, including Eatonville Care in Etobicoke, Hawthorne Place in North York, Altamont Care in Scarborough, Orchard Villa in Pickering, and Camilla Care Community in Mississauga.

Two of those facilities  Altamont Care Community, where 52 people have died from the virus, and Camilla Care Community, where 61 residents have died — are operated by Sienna Senior Living. 

The province will be taking over management of those five facilities. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the military's report "heartbreaking" and "horrific."

The provincial government recently announced it will be launching an independent commission into Ontario's long-term care system beginning in September.

— With files from Canadian Press


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Raymond Bowe

About the Author: Raymond Bowe

Raymond is an award-winning journalist who has been reporting from Simcoe County since 2000
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