CAPES Sending 15 million Pieces of PPE to Senior Living Homes Across Canada

Cross-sector initiative aims to source, supply and share PPE with those most in need

TORONTO, April 23, 2020 /CNW/ - Today CAPES – or the Canadian Alliance to Protect and Equip Seniors Living – announced that they have processed more than 15 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) destined for retirement and long-term care homes across Canada. CAPES is a newly launched volunteer-based initiative that sources, supplies and shares PPE across the seniors living sector.

Responding to the urgent need during COVID-19 for sufficient quantities of PPE for frontline healthcare workers, senior living organizations from across the country joined together to launch and fund the CAPES project. These organizations overfunded their own orders by 35% to source reserve PPE supplies, amounting to millions of dollars of PPE to be made available to smaller operators. The equipment, including level 1 and 2 masks, isolation gowns and gloves, will be distributed across multiple channels with the reserve supplying those small operators most in need.

Senior living operators understand that PPE is crucial for protecting employees and residents and minimizing the overall transmission of the virus. The global disruption of supply chains and the increased global demand for PPE has made access to this much needed equipment challenging and unpredictable, particularly for smaller senior living operators.

"The urgency of protecting the people most vulnerable to this disease prompted us to move rapidly to bring together a group of Canada's largest senior living operators, to not only centralize a purchase of PPE, but also coordinate a process for access and distribution to smaller operators across the country," said family doctor Dr. Joseph Y.K. Wong, Founder of Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care and Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation. "The leadership of the CAPES group in committing funds and resources to support this initiative and the tremendous efforts of the growing group of volunteers has allowed us to successfully source and distribute large quantities of supplies quickly, protecting residents and employees of many retirement and long-term care participants, large and small."

CAPES is anticipated to help source PPE for approximately 60% of the seniors housing sector to augment existing supply channels, which include support made available to homes through government and community sources. CAPES aims to offer smaller senior living operators the benefit of volume pricing for the reserve supply at cost through an easily accessible private online hub.

A cross-sector effort

Dr. Wong is also Founder of StopCovid19gta.com, a volunteer fundraising campaign launched to source personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers in the Greater Toronto Area. Expanding on this initiative, the concept of a joint sector-based purchasing group to access a network of credible global suppliers and logistic channels was launched on April 5 by a small group of volunteers led by Dr. Wong, Melody Lo of RFA Capital, and Michelle Roth of Goodmans LLP's Aging and Healthcare Platform, SenbridGe.  

Within 12 hours of launching the initiative, more than 25 operators responded (full membership list below) to join CAPES, including lead members Amica Senior Lifestyles, Chartwell Retirement Residences, Extendicare, Le Groupe Maurice, The Responsive Group, Revera Living and Sienna Senior Living. Additional operators are continuing to join and support CAPES. 

Raymond Stone, the founder and former CEO of FutureMed volunteered to provide sourcing and logistics services at no cost or profit. Support from volunteers and partners such as RFA Capital, Goodmans LLP and SenbridGe, ShipFusion, PointClickCare, T&T Supemarket, MCAP, BMO, CIBC, TD, Cushman & Wakefield and Gardiner Roberts LLP have helped ensure the coordination and ongoing operations of the project.

CAPES' reserve supply is being offered to senior living operators through sector associations across Canada, including the BC Senior Living Association, BC Care Providers Association, Safe Care BC, Ontario Long Term Care Association, Ontario Retirement Communities Association, Advantage Ontario and Le Regroupement québécois des résidences pour aînés.

"COVID-19 will not be defeated by any single measure but through the sustained cooperation of all individuals to do their part to flatten the curve, most especially in the critically important environment of senior living," said Dr. Wong. "I speak on behalf of all of us in saying how grateful we are for the efforts of our employees who are working to keep our residents safe in retirement and long-term care homes across Canada. CAPES is an incredible initiative to expand the supply of critically important PPE across Canada as we strive to keep our most valued resources, our front-line heroes, safe."

About CAPES

The Canadian Alliance to Protect and Equip Seniors Living (CAPES) is a newly launched volunteer-based initiative that sources, supplies and shares PPE across the seniors living sector in response to the urgent need during the COVID-19 pandemic. CAPES is made up of a cross-sector group of organizations committed to the health and well-being of seniors and the healthcare workers who care for them, including:

Founding Members
Amica Senior Lifestyles
Chartwell Retirement Residences
Extendicare
Goodmans LLP and SenbridGe
Le Groupe Maurice
Raymond Stone
RFA Capital
Revera Living
Sienna Senior Living
The Responsive Group

Supporting Partners
BMO
CIBC
Cushman & Wakefield
Gardiner Roberts LLP
MCAP
PointClickCare
ShipFusion
T&T Supermarket
TD

Additional Members
Alavida Lifestyles
Berwick Retirement Communities
Crown Ridge Health Care Services Inc
Fairview Parkwood Communities
Fieldgate Retirement Living
Horizon Retirement Management
Jarlette Health Services
MTCO Holdings Inc.
Origin Active Lifestyles
Oxford Living
PARC Retirement Living
Park Place Seniors Living
Parkwood Seniors Community
peopleCare Communities Inc.
Scarborough Retirement Residence
Schlegel Villages
Southbridge
Tapestry
The Elden of Bradford

SOURCE The Canadian Alliance to Protect and Equip Seniors Living (CAPES)

Jamie Hofing - 416-450-0526, [email protected]; Mackenzie Patterson - 416-969-2843, [email protected]