Group items tagged

North Bay Nugget Tue Dec 1 2015

The size of your wallet should not determine the quality of health care you receive. That was the message delivered to close to 1,000 protesters calling for the provincial government to free up more money for hospitals in Northern Ontario - particularly the North Bay Regional Health Centre.

"In North Bay, and across Northern Ontario, we are seeing the most severe cuts," said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. The rally drew supporters from across the province to protest cuts across the province. This year, the North Bay Regional Health Centre announced it is cutting almost 160 positions and closing more than 30 beds in an attempt to stave off a flood of red ink. "Here you are looking at 100 layoffs every year" if the province does not end a freeze on healthcare spending, Silas said.

Vancouver Sun Wed Aug 24 2016

"Most seniors prefer care in the comfort of their home and not in hospitals." Doctors of B.C. president Dr. Alan Ruddiman told Philpott that the "harsh reality" is that certain provinces like B.C. are struggling to meet the health-care needs of aging populations, so the CMA is advocating in favour of federal demographic-based "top ups." But Philpott wouldn't reveal where negotiations will go on that point and said there are 14 health ministers, including herself, who have to hammer out an agreement.

"National pharmacare, you know if you've seen my mandate letter (from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), does have to do with the cost of drugs and there's impressive work we can do in the next few years to drive down costs," she said. Philpott suggested the government will, for now, focus on bulk buying, price regulations and negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, rather than a full program covering the costs of drugs for those who can't afford them. While Philpott, a doctor, said she "gets" how a pharmacare program would be beneficial, but there are other problems like "horrendous and unacceptable gaps in care for indigenous people and we need frank conversation about where our priorities should be."

Toronto Star Sat Aug 27 2016

Canadian health care faces a rare opportunity - and a daunting challenge. Officials at the federal and provincial level are quietly working toward a new national accord with potential to reshape medicare in this country. If properly done, the process will produce a stronger, more efficient health-care system better serving the needs of both the sick and the healthy. Expect the opposite if turf wars prevail; if inadequate funding leaves vital parts of the system starved of cash and if established interests use this opportunity to give themselves a raise instead of investing in better patient care.

With negotiations expected to last for several more months, the outcome of this process remains far from clear. But provincial and territorial officials are, at least, talking with a Liberal government in Ottawa elected on a pledge to negotiate a new health pact. That, in itself, marks a welcome change from years of intransigence under former prime minister Stephen Harper. Under his misguided leadership, the federal level disavowed any responsibility for shaping the health-care system. When an earlier $41-billion health accord, negotiated by Paul Martin's Liberals, expired in 2014, Harper refused to do the hard work of negotiating a new deal.

Toronto Star Sat Jul 18 2015

Andreas Laupacis is the first to admit he is a policy wonk. The doctor, who co-directs a 500-employee research institute and chairs a provincial agency that strives to improve health quality, is also the first to admit there are gaping schisms between health policy-makers like himself and those working and being cared for on the front lines. So he has conceived of a novel way to bridge the gaps: a photojournalism project that tells it like it is from within each of those silos. Faces of Health Care, unveiled Thursday, is modelled after Humans of New York, the wildly popular blog by photographer Brandon Stanton, which documents images and stories of regular folk in the Big Apple. Laupacis' project features portraits and short narratives, collected from the bedside, front lines and back offices.

"I am increasingly convinced that patient and health-care worker stories about the good, bad and the complex in health care are important, especially for those of us making policy. We can become a bit distant from the impact of our policies on the people we serve," he says. One profile features Kieran Quinn, an internal-medicine resident at the University of Toronto. Quinn describes how one of his most challenging cases involved caring for a young woman with advanced cancer.

Edmonton Journal Wed Nov 25 2015

Early in its mandate, our new NDP government made three major announcements which will address short-term needs within the continuing care system. However, more is needed to ensure the needs of Albertans can be met. We owe it to our seniors and all vulnerable Albertans to understand and prepare for the challenges ahead. The government's first commitment was to create 2,000 new long-term care spaces. The second was the confirmation on Oct. 29 of 25 ASLI (Alberta Supportive Living Initiative) projects across the province, which will ultimately add approximately 2,000 beds within the continuing care spectrum. Third, the budget added much-needed money for expansion of home care.

Residents, their families and those who provide supportive living, long-term care and home care welcome these initiatives. The expansion of home care and addition of spaces were needed and will likely reduce the number of chronic care patients occupying acute-care hospital beds. That's the good news.

Campbell River Mirror Tue Sep 15 2015

It is extremely concerning that our provincial government is contracting up to 55,000 surgeries to a private surgery clinic Re: Deal with private contractor could reduce surgery wait times - J.R. Rardon. The above noted article was in the Aug. 26, Campbell River Mirror. Reading the headline I have to ask "but at what cost?"

It is extremely concerning that our provincial government is contracting up to 55,000 surgeries to a private, for profit, surgery clinic which is yet to be built. If this company is locating in Victoria they must have received assurance for long term commitments to enable them to locate there permanently. Surgical Centres Ltd. is "based" in Calgary, they have two private, for profit, surgery clinics in Calgary, two in B.C., two in Saskatchewan. Are the owners American?

The Kirkland Lake Northern News Wed Apr 8 2015

Q When is a tax in Canada not for health care? Almost never. When do governments resort to special health taxes? When they're running for budget cover. Why do we put up with it?

Because governments know they can get away with cowardly cash grabs dressed up for health care, even if they bear no resemblance to health care's true costs and may not even be used to help pay for it. Better to shake down taxpayers in the name of the one program sacrosanct to them, than to outright raise regular taxes or do the dirty work of cutting spending. Ontarians should know this better than most -- they were hit with a massive tax increase, the largest in their history, when the Liberals brought in a personal health tax of up to $900 in 2004 when they were trying to climb out of a budget hole inherited from the previous Tory government. Dalton McGuinty, premier at the time, had only months earlier vowed during an election not to increase taxes. A decade on, with McGuinty long gone, Liberal-ruled Ontario is still in hock up to its eyeballs, with no prospect of whipping its books into shape until at least two years from now. Now, with the collapse in oil prices that have greased its treasury, Alberta is hitting up taxpayers with a special health tax of up to $1,000 on those with taxable incomes above $50,000 a year. Ironically, just four years after Ontario imposed its health tax, then-buoyant Alberta -- oil was trading at $118 a barrel, more than double today's price -- waved a magic wand and made health insurance charges go away. Neither province calls its health charge a tax, of course. That would be too honest.

CMAJ August 9, 2016 vol. 188 no. 11 First published July 4, 2016, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.109-5295

Lauren Vogel

A year after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action, public health experts say indigenous health won’t improve without major system change. Last June, the commission issued a comprehensive treatment plan for healing the trauma inflicted on indigenous communities under Canada’s residential schools system — but not much has happened. Eight of the commission’s 94 recommendations directly addressed health care. So what’s the hold up on high-level change?

June 17, 2009

Model of Care Design Team

the Model of Care Design Team will look at clarifying the roles of Island health care providers and support staff, and improving the interactions between these roles so that all members of the health care team are empowered to work to their full potential

Williams Lake Tribune Wed Apr 27 2016

Alexis Creek, Anahim Lake, Bella Bella and Bella Coola have been named as remote B.C. communities that will welcome community paramedicine. Alexis Creek, Anahim Lake, Bella Bella and Bella Coola have been named as some of the 73 rural and remote B.C. communities that will welcome community paramedicine, a program that offers residents enhanced health services from paramedics. Health Minister Terry Lake made the announcement Wednesday.

"The Community Paramedicine Initiative is a key component of our plan to improve access to primary health-care services in rural B.C.," Lake said. "By building upon the skills and background of paramedics, we are empowering them to expand access to care for people who live in rural and remote communities, helping patients get the care they need closer to home." The program is just one way the Province is working to enhance the delivery of primary care services to British Columbians. The services provided may include checking blood pressure, assisting with diabetic care, helping to identify fall hazards, medication assessment, post-injury or illness evaluation, and assisting with respiratory conditions.

National Post Thu Aug 27 2015

When voters are asked what issue matters most, health care once again tops the list. Yet the issue remains on life support in the current federal election campaign. As with campaigns past, it has so far failed to become a ballot question, despite the fact that it's one of the few common experiences we all share. So why is health care traditionally absent from the campaign trail?

There are two main reasons. First, there is the Constitution. It deems health care a provincial responsibility, essentially limiting the federal government's role to that of a giant ATM machine. When provinces deliver good health care, they take the credit; when they are unable to do so, they blame Ottawa for not transferring them enough money. Promises not only come with a price tag, but siphon money from other priorities, all without delivering political payback.

The Globe and Mail Wed Aug 31 2016

Brian Day, a crusader for greater private health-care access, will be in a Vancouver courtroom next week for the start of a lawsuit challenging provincial rules that pertain to his clinic's practice of billing patients for procedures offered in the public system. While the hearing challenging B.C. regulations that ban private care for medically necessary services is expected to last six months, a bullish Dr. Day said in an interview on Tuesday that victory is inevitable "because we're right." The hearing begins next Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court. On one side is the Cambie Surgery Centre, which describes itself as Canada's only free-standing hospital of its kind, as well as patients who are listed in the lawsuit as plaintiffs. On the other side is British Columbia's Medical Services Commission and the provincial Health Ministry.

The case promises to reignite a debate whose last major legal test occurred in 2005, when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a Quebec ban on private health care was unconstitutional. Dr. Day is the medical director at the Cambie clinic, which specializes in anthroposcopic surgery and allows patients to pay out-of-pocket rather than wait for care in the public system. The provincial government has previously audited the clinic and alleged its billing practices were illegal, though for years it did little to actually intervene. Dr. Day and his patients argue that restrictions on private care are unconstitutional. The orthopedic surgeon and past-president of the Canadian Medical Association said he is motivated by a key belief. "You should not suffer or die because of a wait list," he said. "Access to a waiting list is not access to health care." The B.C. government says it is simply enforcing the law.

Trail Daily Times Thu Jan 21 2016

This week Canada's Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Philpott, will meet with her provincial and territorial counterparts in Vancouver. This is no ordinary get-together. In his mandate letter to the Minister, Prime Minister Trudeau tasked Philpott with "engaging provinces and territories in the development of a new, multi-year Health Accord with long-term funding agreement." This is a distinct change in tone from the previous federal government, which refused to meet with provinces to negotiate a new agreement after the accord ran out in 2014.

The top-down approach by the Harper government was greeted with two distinct reactions. There were those that saw the cancellation of the Health Accord as a step backward that would further reduce the federal portion of funding for health care, offloading costs to the provinces. Others criticized the past accord, billed as "a fix for a generation," because it didn't buy the intended change. While progress was made on wait times for certain services, other innovations in home care, primary care, prevention and health promotion, and the development of a national pharmaceutical strategy were not achieved in any meaningful way, with most of the increased funding getting absorbed into regular health budgets. Both of these perspectives hold merit.

Two of the region’s corporate giants — one focused on government health insurance, the other specializing in communities for seniors — were acquired by larger industry players last week, as consolidation heats up in health-related sectors.

Insurance giant Aetna announced it will buy Bethesda-based Coventry Health Care, which provides Medicare and Medicaid services, for $5.7 billion. Two days later, Ohio-based Health Care REIT announced an $845 million deal to acquire McLean’s Sunrise Senior Living, which manages 300 senior living facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, including 25 in the Washington region.

the health care industry is increasingly turning to consolidation as a way to cope with smaller profit margins and higher compliance costs that many anticipate when the federal government’s health care reforms under the Affordable Care Act take effect.

Town & Country

Tue Nov 1 2016

The availability of long-term care beds has plummeted over the last 15 years and the number of privately-operated long-term care beds has increased while government-operated beds has decreased, according to a report published by an independent Alberta-based research network.

As Canada’s aging population grows, our assisted-dying dying legislation cannot stand in isolation – the federal government must do its part to ensure doctors, health-care providers and families receive adequate options and pathways for care at the end of life. So, what are some of the social policies that are needed to support the assisted-dying dying legislation? In its nationwide consultations, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) identified the importance of advance-care planning (ACP), palliative care, long-term care, home care, a national seniors’ strategy, and research and investment in Alzheimer’s as parallel issues to assisted dying.

While the medical and legal frameworks for ACP are a provincial jurisdiction, the federal government should at a minimum support the forthcoming assisted-dying dying legislation by investing in ACP education and training for health-care professionals and launching public awareness campaigns. We have a lot to learn from other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom’s Gold Standards Framework training institute and Australia’s National Framework for Advanced Care Directives.

While there are innovative models of delivering palliative care, actual access to high-quality palliative care varies by region and health provider. We need a Pan-Canadian palliative and end-of-life care strategy. In 2014, NDP MP Charlie Angus successfully moved such a strategy in Private Members’ Motion M-456. Dealing with issues of access, funding and standardization, Angus’s motion was nearly unanimous, but nonbinding. It calls for support for family caregivers and increased access to home-based and hospice-based palliative care. Canada’s assisted-dying legislation would only be strengthened with national direction on palliative care, which is long overdue.

The Globe and Mail Wed Nov 18 2015

apicard@globeandmail.com What country has the world's best health system? That is one of those unanswerable questions that health-policy geeks like to ponder and debate. There have even been serious attempts at measuring and ranking. In 2000, the World Health Organization (in)famously produced a report that concluded that France had the world's best health system, followed by those of Italy, San Marino, Andorra and Malta.

The business publication Bloomberg produces an annual ranking that emphasizes value for money from health spending; the 2014 ranking places Singapore on top, followed by Hong Kong, Italy, Japan and South Korea. The Economist Intelligence Unit compares 166 countries, and ranks Japan as No. 1, followed by Singapore, Switzerland, Iceland and Australia. The Commonwealth Fund ranks health care in 11 Western countries and gives the nod to the U.K., followed by Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and Germany. The problem with these exercises is that no one can really agree on what should be measured and, even when they do settle on measures, data are not always reliable and comparable.

Toronto Star Thu Apr 23 2015

With the provincial government set to table its budget today, much of the public discussion to date has focused on the future of alcohol sales and power generation in the province. While these issues are important, we must not lose sight of other priorities - particularly how best to care for our aging population. While Ontario hospitals have not received an inflationary funding increase over the last three years, the province's 149 public hospitals have been working very hard to adapt to meet the needs of patients. Hospitals have worked hard to help the government meet its financial objectives by improving operating efficiencies and reducing costs while also enhancing patient care. Over the past decade, Ontario hospitals have become the most efficient in Canada. Despite serving a record number of patients, wait times have gone down and more people are getting the care they need faster in areas such as cancer surgery, cardiac procedures, cataract surgery, and hip and knee replacement. And they're doing so with the fewest hospital beds, per citizen, of any Canadian province.

However, hospital leaders are now facing some very challenging budget decisions to contain costs and meet the ever-increasing service needs of Ontarians.

Ontario, for instance, is pumping money into providing more home care. Manitoba is looking toward preventive medicine. Saskatchewan is reviewing ways to improve long-term care. Nova Scotia has a system where paramedics treat some ailments in long-term care facilities to avoid tying up hospital beds.

Mr. Ghiz said they could use more help from Ottawa.“Hopefully, some day, the federal government will be at the table with dollars and with ideas – we're open

finding ways to keep seniors out of hospital. Ontario, for instance, is pumping money into providing more home care. Manitoba is looking toward preventive medicine. Saskatchewan is reviewing ways to improve long-term care. Nova Scotia has a system where paramedics treat some ailments in long-term care facilities to avoid tying up hospital beds.

Hamilton Spectator Fri Dec 12 2014

"Try to think of a word more hated than "taxes"! Right! Let's lay our cards on the table and say we are talking taxes. Politicians promise lower taxes and, therefore, more disposable income if we vote for them. They turn "taxes" into a hated word. The promise of lowering them is like luring a bear to a honey pot because many of the electorate believe they will be better off financially. This is a myth. One has only to note all the "extras" for which you would fork out on a daily basis - that is, if you are fortunate enough to have the income. It's been said "taxes are what one pays for a civilized society."

And we are civilized, aren't we? Taxes pay for all the services we expect to receive in a first-world country: health care, social workers, schools, libraries, bridges, roads, clean drinking water and sanitation, parks, food and building inspectors - and more. If these necessities are not being delivered it's likely taxes are being misappropriated or are insufficient - or maybe both. It's clear we have allowed ourselves to be bamboozled by politicians who promise that if we vote for whoever is electioneering, we shall have halcyon shopping days using the extra money that otherwise would have been lifted from us in taxes. The word "bamboozled" is used advisedly. Take our hospitals. In the 21st century, in Canada, are these institutions meeting the needs of all Canadians, no matter the income? The answer is no. This is not to say that there are not many patients who feel they have received good care. But we are talking about "all Canadians" and not only those who have spun the wheel and been lucky. There are so many horror stories in the media concerning mistakes made and neglect of patients that you feel sorry for conscientious staff from all hospital departments who may feel their efforts are not appreciated. These employees go to work each day and do their best, despite being overworked and stressed.