A Hospital Partnership with a Nursing Home Experiencing a COVID-19 Outbreak: Description of a Multiphase Emergency Response in Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Nursing homes have become “ground zero” for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in North America, with homes experiencing widespread outbreaks, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality among their residents. This article describes a 371-bed acute-care hospital's emergency response to a 126-bed nursing home experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in Toronto, Canada. Like other healthcare system responses to COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes, this hospital–nursing home partnership can be characterized in several phases: (1) engagement, relationship, and trust building; (2) environmental scan, team building, and immediate response; (3) early-phase response; and (4) stabilization and transition period. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1376-1381, 2020.