Update: Homeless shelter that prevented lifesaving CPR due to COVID reverses its policy
On June 5, Rebel News published a report highlighting a troubling policy at The Mustard Seed in Calgary, which prevented staff from performing lifesaving CPR on guests of the facility due to fears surrounding the potential transmission of COVID.
For those unfamiliar with The Mustard Seed, it is a homeless shelter and support network that seeks to provide care and a safe space for those experiencing hardship. The concerns were brought forward by whistleblower Katie DeWitt, who felt it was her responsibility to draw attention to this troubling policy.
Katie was fired by The Mustard Seed for going public with her story. We caught up with her for an update.
We also reached out to The Mustard Seed, and I spoke on the phone with CEO Steve Wile about the CPR policy and Katie’s termination.
Steve insists that a policy change was already underway and that he regrets Katie’s termination, but that there were protocols in place for her concerns to be addressed which were not observed. Steve also reluctantly admitted that perhaps the change in policy did not come as quickly as some would have liked.
Despite insistence from The Mustard Seed that our video and Katie’s testimony did not expedite a shift in their CPR policy, we suspect that it very likely played a role.
Our initial report was released on June 5, Katie lost her job on June 17, and by June 23, The Mustard Seed had changed their policy.
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