Sask. health authority introduces COVID-19 safety course for volunteers
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) requires people to take a new online course in infection prevention and control before they can volunteer in SHA facilities and programs.
“We’d like to bring them back because everybody is missing our volunteers. The staff, the clients and the residents,” said the SHA’s director of volunteer services, Bernie Doepker.
The course covers topics such as proper hand hygiene, how to wear a mask and how to put on and take off gloves safely.
At the start of the pandemic, the SHA dismissed all of its volunteers 65 and older as they were deemed a population more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Doepker says people volunteer at their own risk and the SHA assumes no responsibilities for mishaps and the new course is for their own safety.
Marjorie Bodnairchuk, a retired registered nurse and healthcare administrator who would often play the piano at the Herb Bassett Home in Prince Albert before the pandemic, said the course has good information, but may not be accessible for some volunteers.
The training requires logging into a website, reading, watching videos, using interactive tools and completing quizzes.
“People who aren’t comfortable with computers and websites and I think maybe they’ll just conclude their time with the Sask. Health Authority,” said Bodnairchuk.
Bodnairchuk says that would be disappointing as the residents of care homes and hospitals are going to be left with less visitor interaction and entertainment.
Doepker says the SHA is taking a cautious approach to resuming volunteer services and only allowing volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels, virtual volunteers and outdoor entertainment.
“We are in desperate need of more volunteers,” said Doepker as many of the current volunteers who’ve been delivering Meals on Wheels need a break.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.