CAF Responds to COVID-19 Outbreak in Garden Hill First Nation

On January 17, 2021, a whole-of-government reconnaissance team was dispatched to the community and quickly determined that the CAF could effectively support a response to the crisis through the deployment of a Multi-Purpose Medical Assistance Team (MMAT). From January 20 to February 9, 35 soldiers from the Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) under the command of Major James Cressall, augmented with CAF medical personnel, responded to help blunt the crisis.

One of the most populous isolated indigenous communities in the province, GHFN is a fly-in community located in the Island Lake Region of northeastern Manitoba. As infection rates spiked in the community in early January, essential workers were required to quarantine, leaving many local services understaffed and unable to provide key resources. In an attempt to reduce the spread, the Chief and Council imposed a community lock-down and requested external assistance.

Some of the key tasks conducted by the GHFN MMAT included:

• Integration into the local Emergency Operations Centre;
• The establishment of and support to the operation of a local Alternative Isolation Accommodation (AIA);
• Support to home wellness checks and the delivery of humanitarian aid; and
• Augmentation of the nursing station by medical personnel.

With a primary focus on the establishment of the AIA and support to the nursing station, work began immediately upon the MMAT’s arrival. By January 26, the AIA was fully established and received its first COVID-19 positive community member. Within days, the AIA had received over 20 new clients.

With limited assistance, training, and mentorship provided by the MMAT, the AIA was quickly able to transition entirely under local community leadership. Concurrently, CAF medical technicians under the leadership of Nursing Officer Lt(N) Crystal Wilson made significant headway in supporting contact tracing and the closing of case files.

In just over two weeks, this small team helped eliminate the backlog of contact tracing and closed hundreds of case files, providing a much clearer picture of the status of the outbreak.

Following the establishment of the AIA, part of the MMAT transitioned to supporting home wellness checks in partnership with local community members. Using a card system, residents would place either a red or green card in their windows indicating whether they required emergency supplies such as food, water or medical attention. Within seven days, nearly all residents were visited and over 6000 litres of drinking water was delivered throughout the community.

As tasks were completed and local capacity was restored, the MMAT began redeployment preparations and wanted to do something to help raise community morale and show their appreciation for the warm welcome from the community. After learning that nightly bingo games were held in the community prior to the pandemic, a game of virtual bingo was planned in consultation with the Chief and Council. With a variety of prizes donated by the CAF, ISC, and the community, five games of bingo were hosted by soldiers at the local broadcasting station. The event was extremely well received and provided a positive means of saying farewell and best wishes to Garden Hill First Nation.

While the final group of soldiers was redeployed on February 9, federal representatives remain in close contact with the Garden Hill First Nation to support their emergency response. CAF members are proud to help fellow Canadians in their time of need, and were pleased to work in close collaboration with community members as well as provincial and federal partners.