MPP Rickford credits All Nation Health Partners for coordinated action on COVID-19
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Kenora-Rainy River MPP and Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford is back from Queens Park, arriving in the Northwest riding with 1,300 lbs. of Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19 test kits for distribution to First Nations and communities across the riding.
The shipment included 21,500 surgical masks, 50 boxes of gloves, 50 boxes of disinfectant wipes, 5,000 protective gowns and 1,000 swab tests.
Rickford travelled to Dalles First Nation on Wednesday, April 29 to personally deliver the PPE supplies to the community.
The shipment was coordinated by the Northern Supply chain and Lake of the Woods District Hospital and distributed through the All Nations Health Partners and the Northwestern Health Unit.
“I would like to personally thank the Assessment Centre, a project of the All Nations Health Partners, for helping me get tested for COVID-19, which the test results have come back negative,” Rickford stated, in a news release.
The Minister also commented on two recent developments that will significantly improve the turn around time to receive results of samples submitted to labs for testing; the arrangement with the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg and the licensing of the lab at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.
He noted the turnaround time of two days and less than an hour respectively for results address the five to seven day of obtaining results from provincial labs in Toronto and Sudbury.
“We’re feel more ready to ramp up testing province wide,” Rickford commented in an interview with the Miner and News, noting the next phase of testing extends to front line workers, long term care homes and First Nations.
“It’s not enough to know how many people have been tested but how quickly we can turn around the results,” he said, nothing that the sooner positive cases are identified, the quicker the medical response and follow up of contact tracing can proceed.
Rickford commended the Assessment Centre for doing an “incredible job” at offering testing capacity in the Kenora Region along with Lake of the Woods District Hospital working in partnership with the Northwestern Health Unit, Sunset Country Family Health Team, WNHAC, Kenora District Services Board, Kenora Association for Community Living and Kenora Chiefs Advisory for extending the service to the greater community.
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