"One High-risk site" Policy - F. Havaei

December 4, 2020

Canada taps UBC researchers to investigate COVID-19 'one high-risk site' staffing policy

December 4, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario– Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Today, the Government of Canada announced that the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Active Aging Research Team (AART) and School of Nursing (SoN) will lead an investigation to understand the impact and implementation of the “one high-risk site” staffing policies in long-term care homes (LTC). This was part of a larger announcement of $1.8M in funding for implementation science research to understand the impact of efforts to keep LTC residents, their families and caregivers, and staff safe from COVID-19. AART is one of 14 Implementation Science teams selected across the country.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Deb Schulte, Minister of Seniors made the announcement today. "Research projects like these are essential to building capacity and expanding our knowledge about what we can do now and in the future to keep the residents and workers of long-term care and retirement homes safe during the COVID-19 pandemic," said the Minister of Health.

The Public Health Agency of Canada instituted the "one high-risk site" policy to control the spread of COVID-19 across LTC homes. This policy prohibits LTC staff from employment in more than one facility. Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC and AART Principal Scientist Joanie Sims-Gould and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing Farinaz Havaei will lead scholars, practitioners, and long-term care providers to investigate this policy.

"This exploratory study focuses on implementation and impact of the 'one high-risk site’ staffing policy," explained Sims-Gould. "COVID-19 has changed staffing practices in Long-Term Care. We urgently need to understand how these practices impact residents, their families, and staff," she added. “Based on early findings from another study that I am leading, there is suggestion that though the ‘one high-risk site policy’ has been effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19, it has created some care delivery challenges in British Columbia’s LTC settings,” said Farinaz Havaei.

For one year, the team will study how the policy impacts four long-term care homes in Vancouver, Richmond and Mission, British Columbia. The team will also look to understand the implementation of the policy across all four sites.

Contact:

Rebecca Collett Communications Manager,
Active Aging Research Team
M: 604-256-5097 | rebecca.collett@ubc.ca

About the Active Aging Research Team | @ActiveAgingRT

Led by Drs. Heather McKay and Joanie Sims-Gould, the Active Aging Research Team brings together scholars, community stakeholders, and government to address the needs, issues, and opportunities of a diverse aging society. Together they seek to positively impact the health of older adults through a focus on the intersection of sex, gender, social connectedness, and mobility through physical activity. Through co-leadership of a large number of community-based initiatives such as the Re-imagine Aging research cluster at UBC, Active Aging BC, and development of an Implementation Science Hub focused on older adults they work toward achieving their goals of: 1) advancing the fields of implementation science and older adult health research, and 2) ensuring that their research findings have a positive impact on policy, practice, and on the lives of older adults.

Team Members

Joanie Sims Gould, Lead | @joaniesimsgould @ActiveAgingRT @UBCmedicine @VCHResearch
Farinaz Havaei, Lead | @FHavaei
Maura MacPhee | @Maura_MacPhee
Alison Phinney
Lillian Hung | @nurselillian
Heather McKay | @DrHeatherMcKay
Stephen Robinovitch | @SRobinovitch
Fabio Feldman |@feldman_fabio
Sabina Stampfli
Heather Mak | @heathermaknurse
Cara Lewis
Laura Tamblyn Watts | @ltamblynwatts @CanAgeSeniors
David Keselman | @louis_brier
Dan Galazka |@dangalazka
Szuchi Lee | @VillaCathayCH
Jo-Ann Kirk
Mary Rhode
Thea Franke | @TheaMFranke