An Edmonton man is calling on his former workplace to “step it up” following an alleged mishandling of a COVID-19 outbreak at a local long-term care facility.
Dave Forbes recently quit his job at Touchmark at Wedgewood after what he alleges was a failure to enforce protocols designed to keep residents and staff safe at the facility.
Forbes, who worked for Touchmark for three years, said neither testing nor masking recommendations were being followed during a two-week outbreak at the facility – which is classified as a home for people with “highly complex, unpredictable medical needs.”
“When I came to work and I was informed that we’re under outbreak status, I said, ‘Oh, wow. We better test.’ And my coworker said, ‘Oh, good thing I brought some tests from home.”
During an outbreak, Alberta Health Services (AHS) recommends that:
- Residents with symptoms or confirmed infections are isolated;
- Staff continuously mask;
- New illnesses be reported daily; …