Only four of the dozens of personal support workers who typically staff a Markham home for mentally and physically challenged adults were tending to residents after a COVID-19 outbreak hit this week.

At least 10 of the 42 adult residents at Participation House and two staff members have tested positive for the virus. That prompted most of the remaining staff to walk out after a meeting Thursday revealing the positive tests.

“It’s like a bad dream,” said Shelley Brillinger, executive director of the support facility, where residents with serious ailments like cerebral palsy need help for almost every basic function — from getting out of bed to going to the washroom.

At the meeting, which included about 10 to 15 remaining employees, there was no panic or anger, Brillinger said.

“They slowly just said ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I won’t be back.’ ”

Brillinger, a nurse, says management from her facility, head office and other facilities have been picking up the slack as best they can.

“But it’s not sustainable, it’s definitely a cry for help immediately,” she said. “Our residents are the most vulnerable in society, they really are.”

Typically, the site would have 80 people on the payroll, a large majority of them personal support workers.

In a normal 24-hour period, 35 workers would be required, including eight support workers for each of two day shifts and two for overnight.

“So we would need at least 18 PSWs for a normal 24-hour period,” she says.

The remainder would be kitchen staff and nurses. There are now 10 workers between management and the remaining PSWs.

Brillinger said the Butternut Lane facility, one of three Participation House locations in the city, had been hemorrhaging staff for the last month as workers left for higher-paying jobs in long-term care facilities.

But the skeleton staff — many working double shifts already — was decimated when the coronavirus cases were confirmed Thursday.

Palmer Lockridge, spokesperson for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, said its regional staff are working with the facility to ensure appropriate staffing levels are in place.

There are currently eight support staff, which includes three personal support workers and one nurse. Management have stepped in to assist with clients to ensure they are supported as the ministry works to find additional staff, Lockridge told the Star.

Lockridge also said personal protective equipment is available and in use, and more is on the way.

“We want to thank the community, and the mayor of Markham, for their support and assistance and we continue to work with Participation House, and all our partners, to ensure that clients are supported and their health and safety, and that of the staff who work with them, is protected,” Lockridge said.

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Frank Scarpitti, the city’s mayor, said businesses and fire officials quickly came through with hundreds of protective equipment items for the Participation House support home.

“As soon as I found out about it (Friday morning) I . . . immediately put a call out to the community for gowns, face shields and glasses and gloves,” said Scarpetti, listing the items facility officials told him they most needed.

“And I just want to say we’ve had an overwhelming response so far,” he said.

That response included donations of 200 face shields from the Harding Display marketing solutions company, gloves from the fire department and York University and more than 100 gowns from Kingdom Developments Inc.

“Certainly the community has responded and the residents and staff there deserve our support,” Scarpitti said. “And it’s our obligation to do everything in our power to help out organizations who have vulnerable people in our community when they’re in a desperate situation.”

The Butternut Lane facility sits across a parking lot from the Markham Stouffville Hospital, but it was not clear Friday whether any of the residents have had to be admitted, Scarpitti said.

“So there is one advantage there, if they require more help, help is literally right across the parking lot.”

This is the third time in a month that Scarpitti had to make such appeals to the community for help with a residential institution — something that clearly had the mayor fuming.

“It’s got me thinking some days did we learn enough from SARS?” said Scarpitti, whose city has also seen outbreaks at the Markhaven Home for Seniors, which took seven lives, and the Bethany Lodge assisted living facility, which saw at least one death.

“And I think when this is all over we’ll need one hell of a big debrief to talk about how people looking after the vulnerable in our community can be first in line for equipment like this,” he said.

April 10, 2020 — Update: This story has been changed from a previously published version to add comments from Participation House and the ministry.

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