FORT FRANCES, ON — A year after the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care put a freeze on new admissions to Rainycrest Long Term Care in Fort Frances, the nursing home is once again accepting new residents.
Riverside Health Care, the licensee, says this means the home will be able to resume admissions on Monday, March 11.
The facility has 148 beds, but because of the freeze only 107 of those beds were still occupied as of January 2019.
Rainycrest is still under third-party management through a contract with Extendicare Assist until late 2021 as a result of care issues and staffing issues identified in MOHLTC inspections.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Riverside officials called the reopening of the home "a tribute to the commitment and dedication of staff and management across Riverside Health Care."
They said that while Rainycrest staff have focused on efforts to improve residents' care and adhere to ministry orders, staff at their other facilities—LaVerendrye Hospital, the Emo Health Centre and the Rainy River Health Centre— have been busy caring for "almost double the regular patient volume."
With Rainycrest once again accepting residents, the statement said the nursing home will reach full capacity again within four months, while normal patient levels will return to the hospital and medical centres within two months.
