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The Model of Care Initiative in Nova Scotia is making a positive difference for patients, health care providers and the health system. A New Way to Deliver Care

This new way of delivering care uses information on the typical needs of patients on the unit (such as their medical condition, whether they can move around on their own, family support, etc.) to determine how care is organized and who delivers that care. Streamlined processes, faster access to information, and modern technology support staff to provide the safest and best possible patient care.

Nova Scotia is the first province in Canada to design and implement a new model of care provincially and at the same time conduct a rigorous evaluation of its effects on patients, health care providers, and the health care system overall.

Some seniors in Nova Scotia are waiting more than a year to get into a nursing home and the waits are getting longer, CBC News has learned.

CBC News obtained an internal document for the Department of Health and Wellness on the barriers in accessing long-term care.

Since 2009, there have been 669 new long-term care beds added to the long-term care system," the report said.

inflation for private health care  insurance premiums this year.

11.7% in 2012 according to a new report

According to the OECD, overall  health care spending, public and private, increased by 3% in Canada in 2010. Public expenditures increased by 2.7% in 2011.

eptember 6, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 34 Merging health regions in NS would be bad idea, report says Merging district health authorities in Nova Scotia would be disruptive and expensive, says a study commissioned by the CUPE workers union. It says centralization has not shown to save money, pointing to the experience of Alberta where health care deficits have grown since health regions were amalgamated i

Apr 10, 2014

(Truro) – CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says new figures out of Alberta that show the health care superboard there is spending more than $460,000 dollars a day on consultants should be a red flag for the McNeil government.  “The Opposition party in Alberta uncovered documents that show they billed taxpayers for consultants on everything from computer programming to art advice.  The superboard used more 500 consulting contracts over an 18-month period,” says Cavanagh. “This week we learned that senior staff in the Department of Health and Wellness still do not have a figure for how much the DHA restructuring will cost.  During the provincial election campaign, the Liberals and the Tories seemed to have wildly differing figures for what the cost-savings might be from such a move. The Liberals said their changes would save about $10 million in administrative costs per year, while the Conservatives said theirs would save up to $75 million. That’s a $65 million difference,” says Cavanagh. “We have absolutely no confidence that this government knows what they are getting themselves into with yet another, disruptive restructuring of our health care system,” says Cavanagh. For information: Danny Cavanagh     CUPE NS President    (902) 957-0822 (Cell)    John McCracken CUPE Atlantic Communications Representative  (902) 455-4180 (o)

April 3rd, 2014 CCPA-NS

Nurses in Nova Scotia are on the picket lines today in a legal strike. They are expected to be out until the government passes essential services legislation. Bill 37, Essential Health and Community Services Act, is a sly attempt to achieve two things: Effectively remove the right to strike (the legislation itself anticipates this by referring, in Section 15, to “depriving the employees in the bargaining unit of a meaningful right to strike,” and Avoid the substitute – interest arbitration on issues in dispute. So at one and the same time, it cuts the unions off at the knees AND offers no fair way to resolve disrupted negotiations, as prescribed by numerous international conventions to which Canada is signatory.

Several years ago, Judy Haiven and I wrote a monograph entitled: Health Care Strikes: Pulling the Red Cord.  In it, we argue that the techniques of Japanese lean production had been imported into North American industry, into public services and into health care.  If you doubt it, just take a look at the plans to transform health care in Saskatchewan. At least the classical Ohno model gives workers the power to warn if the system is faltering by pulling a yellow cord.  And if it becomes dysfunctional workers can stop the production line by pulling a red cord.

How to register for Law Amendments on McNeil Govt's Bill 1 CUPE members can call 902-424-8941 to register to appear. We encourage as many of you as possible to register. They will call you if you are chosen to appear.  This could start as early as tomorrow, but as soon as the bill passes Second Reading. NOTE: The four health care union leaders have asked for a meeting with Health Minister Leo Glavine today to clarify his comments about Bill 1 and the unions' proposed Bargaining Association.

MEDIA RELEASE: Unions Seek Clarity on Minister’s Recent Comments Leaders of the four health care unions affected by Bill 1 have written to the Minister of Health & Wellness this morning, requesting urgent clarification on his recent comments that government would accept a model of collective bargaining that would see the lead union in each of the four proposed bargaining units conduct bargaining on behalf of all employees in that sector.  “Minister Glavine’s comments seem to suggest that government would allow each of the four Unions to continue to represent their current membership,” says Rick Clarke, President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour.  “These public comments appear to contradict what is contemplated in Bill 1.”  The Union leadership, therefore, has requested an urgent meeting with the Minister today to discuss how to reconcile his public comments with the legislation and to explore in detail the exact nature of his proposal. All of the union leaders are currently at the legislature and available to meet.

Letter to Liberal MLA's from CUPE acute care members Dear __________________, provincial MLA: I am writing as a CUPE member in health care who is very upset about Premier Stephen McNeil’s plans to take away my fundamental rights as a union member. I already belong to a union, and for the premier to say in the media that health care workers do not care who represents them is completely wrong.  My union and others worked hard to come up with a solution that gets our bargaining to four (4) contracts from 49. Why won’t he work with the unions instead of against us? Why is he rejecting outright the Bargaining Association proposal put forward by all four unions, which has been working fine in B.C. for many years now?  You need to know that if you and your party legislate me into a bargaining unit chosen, not by me, but by Stephen McNeil, I can assure you that I will never vote Liberal again in my life! You can also tell Justin Trudeau that means Liberals both provincial AND federal.

Jul 22, 2015

Halifax – The Canadian Union of Public Employees Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh made the following statement today: The recent announcement that the Aberdeen Hospital will close its mental unit is the latest proof that we are just now seeing the pitfalls of the provincial decision to eliminate local health boards. The Liberals campaigned to improve community-based decision making and ensuring decisions are made locally.

CUPE NS warned that a centralized health authority operated out of Halifax wouldn’t work and the health care needs of local communities would be ignored.

October 7, 2015

Health Advocates Protest Cuts to Refugee Care

Halifax, NS – A group of local doctors and the Nova Scotia Health Coalition erected a 20 foot sign blocking the entrance to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 today. The display by health professionals and advocates is part of a national protest against the federal Conservative cuts to refugee health care. The display read “Closed until further notice: Send complaints to the ballot box”

Concert-goers to today’s Aerosmith show in Sydney will be getting a free public health lesson, courtesy of CUPE hospital workers. They’ll be handing out free hand sanitizers to raise awareness about Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs), often referred to as “Superbugs”. HAIs are the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. Under the campaign slogan “Help hospital workers fight Superbugs! It’s in Your Hands”, CUPE hospital workers have been handing out tens of thousands of free hand sanitizers at public events all summer, as well as literature on how the public can avoid superbugs through simple hand-washing and other measures. They are also handing out stickers and tattoos of cartoon microbes for children to illustrate the importance of good hand washing at every age. Look for CUPE’s Superbugs booth in the vendors section of the new, Open Hearth Park. A full schedule of CUPE’s HAI Tour can be found online at www.countmein.cupe.ca.

Provincial Day of Action: Keep the Heart in Home Care!

Wed May 06 2015 at 12:00 pm

Nova Scotia Legislature, Halifax, Canada

the topic — Paying for Elder Care

David Baker, assistant vice-president of Sun Life Financial. He made the case for private long-term care insurance.

Michel Grignon, director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy at McMaster University. He made the case for a universal public insurance plan to cover long-term care.

The NDP government has no plans to allow Capital Health to contract out food services, even though it loses money consistently, Health Minister David Wilson said Thursday.

Authority officials also said they’ve asked the government for the last three years to allow them to contract out food services

last March’s announcement to merge health authorities’ administrative services

October 13, 2015

by Danny Cavanagh

There is no budget crisis in Nova Scotia, says Danny Cavanagh, president of CUPE Nova Scotia. On the contrary, Nova Scotia is expected to record a surplus as early as next year.

August 15, 2016

Much-needed projects stalled as funds are deferred The provincial government is being accused of wrongly taking money out of a cash-strapped health care system. Tory MLA Alfie MacLeod Monday accused Premier Stephen McNeil`s Liberals of stalling urgently needed health care projects in the province.

“Shortchanging Nova Scotians requiring medical care or kicking equipment costs down the road is no way to manage health care in this province,” said MacLeod in a media release Monday.