Owners take back control of Sutton long-term care home ravaged by outbreak

Sutton LTC home ravaged by outbreak back in owner's control The Sutton long-term care home that was ravaged by an outbreak of COVID-19 is back in its owner's control. CTV's Mike Arsalides reports.

Barrie, Ont. — A Sutton long-term care home ravaged by an outbreak of the coronavirus is back in its owners' hands after the province forced it to give control to a Southlake Regional Health Centre team.

ATK Care Group Ltd. was stripped of its management duties for four months at River Glen Haven while the Southlake team worked to stop the outbreak.

Jordan Kannampuzha, Chief Operations Officer of ATK Care, said he is "focused on preparing for this second wave and ensuring our commitment to both superior care, and the health and safety of our residents and staff."

At the height of the pandemic, 37 residents died after becoming infected with the virus, and 90 of the facility's 119 residents tested positive.

Maureen McDermott's 92-year-old mother lives at the nursing home and survived the outbreak. McDermott led a protest last month outside the Sutton home after news ATK Care would take back control.

Following the demonstration and the facility's lead physician's resignation, the ministry extended Southlake's management control by another month.

Today, McDermott said she believes in second chances. "I've been told that they've learned a lot of mistakes. However, those mistakes caused 37 people's lives to be lost."

The ministry told CTV News, "The parties have worked on developing a comprehensive plan, including the informal support of Southlake Regional Hospital over the next several months."

The Southlake team found several issues that led to the outbreak, including a lack of staff and training.

ATK Care sent a letter to families late last week announcing it has 21 positions open, including nine vacancies for nurses.