GORE BAY – The Manitoulin Lodge will be losing a total of 16 beds, not 17 as previously reported, but the licences for those beds have not been lost. Gore Bay council is hopeful that a solution will be found to make up the shortfall in nursing home beds.
“Hopefully, something can be worked out, whether it is 16 or 17 beds the Island as a whole can’t afford to lose those beds,” said Gore Bay Mayor Dan Osborne. “That loss can’t be absorbed by Centennial Manor or the Wikwemikong Nursing Home.”
A follow-up note from Jarlette, the private nursing home operator that operates the Lodge, noted that Manitoulin Lodge currently has eight ward rooms, for a total of 16 beds, not 17 as was reported in last week’s The Expositor. “We have not lost the licences for these beds,” assured Stephanie Barber, community relations co-ordinator for Manitoulin Lodge in an emailed request for comment. “However we are acting in strict accordance with Directive No. 3 issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long Term Care, and as such are unable to admit residents to these beds per said directive. In order to support the health and safety of all those we serve, we will continue to adhere to the infection prevention and control practices mandated by Public Health, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Long Term Care and the provincial government at large, while also maintaining our own proactive efforts within the home.”
As for the ongoing plans to rebuild Manitoulin Lodge Ms. Barber went on to note, “With regard to the redevelopment of Manitoulin Lodge, we continue to work closely and collaboratively with our government partners and it is our hope that we will be able to see the project through in future while enhancing senior-focused care services in Gore Bay and creating a sustainable future for the community’s elderly.”
Manitoulin Lodge is the only remaining long-term care facility on Manitoulin Island that still operates with a ward system.
