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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.

The Province Sun Oct 30 2016

Despite a 95-year age difference, five-year-old Tony Han Junior and centenarian Alice Clark enjoy each other's company. After decorating Halloween cookies together, Han brings his own masterpiece, smothered in smarties and sprinkles, to Clark and encourages her to try it. Few words are exchanged, but smiles and giggles are constant at the intergenerational program at Youville Residence, a long-term care facility for seniors in Vancouver. Han Jr. is among a half dozen children visiting this day from the Montessori Children's Community - a daycare located on the same site as Youville, at 33rd and Heather.

Despite a 95-year age difference, five-year-old Tony Han Junior and centenarian Alice Clark enjoy each other's company.

More funds and youth involvement are crucial for a long-term solution for remote First Nations communities, says NDP MP Charlie Angus.

Monday, April 18, 2016

PARLIAMENT HILL—NDP MP Charlie Angus, who is flying to Attawapiskat First Nation on Monday with Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to meet with Chief Bruce Shisheesh, is calling for immediate action to provide critical services to the 2,000 residents of this northern Ontario community located in his riding.

It’s always been an odd concept to us to separate out hospitals from other community-based providers. If hospitals are not operating in their communities, where the heck are they operating?

hospitals are health care citadels within their communities and attract far more community involvement than some of the so-called private for-profit “community-based” health care providers

Walk into the lobby of any hospital and you’ll likely see an information desk with volunteers from the community sitting behind it. If you’ve had heart surgery recently, you’ll have probably received a visit by a hospital volunteer who is there to answer your questions. Community volunteers are key to making fundraising foundations work for hospitals.

This work reminds me of the words of activist/musician Bernice Johnson Reagon, of Sweet Honey in the Rock: “If you are in a coalition and you are comfortable, that coalition is not broad enough.”

February 6, 2015

Immediately following Act 10, Walker and the Republican-dominated state legislature made the largest cuts to public education of any state in the nation and gerrymandered state legislative districts to privilege conservative, white-populated areas of the state.

The Peterborough Examiner Mon Oct 19 2015

QUINTE WEST -Natalie Mehra was blunt with her assessment of the proposed cost-cutting measures facing Trenton Memorial Hospital. On a scale of one to ten, Mehra rated the severity of cuts at nine. "They are setting the ground work for the demise of the hospital. There will be no future in it," said the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. But the Coalition wants Quinte West and Brighton to keep fighting back, even harder than in previous years. "I am a bit worried because people get tired of fighting back. But our (the Coalition) message is that when you push back hard enough we can often win. Every community should be demanding long term stability when it comes to their hospitals. The bottom line is there should be a basket of good services available in every hospital," said Mehra.

The Coalition and Our TMH are planning a massive day of protest set for Friday, Nov. 13 at Trenton's Centennial Park beginning at 12- noon. Mehra said the protest will include the involvement from people from across eastern Ontario from Perth to Brockville and west to Quinte West and the Peterborough region. "We're asking community volunteers, residents, nurses, and medical staff to be there. It's extremely important," said Mehra. Trenton Memorial isn't the only small hospital that's being hit.

CMAJ March 15, 2016 vol. 188 no. 5 First published February 29, 2016, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.160117

On Dec. 8, 2015, the Government of Canada announced its plan for a national inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, in response to a specific call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.1 On Jan. 5, 2016, a pre-inquiry online survey was launched to “allow … [stakeholders an] opportunity to provide input into who should conduct the inquiry, … who should be heard as part of the inquiry process, and what issues should be considered.”2 We urge the federal government to be cognizant of the substantial knowledge, skill and advocacy of those who work in public health when deciding who should be consulted as part of this important inquiry.

A recent report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police3 confirmed that rates of missing person reports and homicide are disproportionately higher among Aboriginal women and girls than in the non-Aboriginal female population. As rates of female homicide have declined in Canada overall, the rate among Aboriginal women remains unchanged from year to year. This is troubling, and the need to seek testimony from survivors, family members, loved ones of victims and law enforcement agencies in the inquiry is clear.

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.

May 16 is Personal Support Worker Day. PSWs are increasingly providing the majority of direct care services to elderly or ill patients who live in long-term care institutions or who receive home care.

Richards noted that “they [PSWs] are constantly on the go … they have very little time to actually sit down and provide comfort to residents and build that important relationship between themselves as caregivers with the residents and their family members”.

There is a great deal of variation in what PSWs do, where they work, and how they are supervised. This has made many argue that there must be more standardized training and regulation of PSWs. Others point out that it is at least as important to ensure that their working conditions allow PSWs to provide the compassionate and high quality care that their clients deserve.

Today, at Anishnawbe Mushkiki Aboriginal Health Access Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Dr. Eric Hoskins, alongside his colleagues David Zimmer, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day, made a ground-breaking announcement of the largest investment in Indigenous health care in Ontario’s history. This investment includes the establishment of up to 10 new or expanded Indigenous-centred primary health care teams that include traditional healing to serve Indigenous communities across the province, similar to the existing network of 10 Aboriginal Health Access Centres (AHACs).

Unique in Canada and made in Ontario, AHACs are Indigenous community-led primary health care organizations that embed Indigenous cultural practices and teachings at the heart of everything they do. They provide a comprehensive array of health and social services to Indigenous communities across Ontario. These services include primary care, traditional healing, mental wellness, addictions services, cultural programs, health promotion programs, early years programs, oral health care, community development initiatives, home and community care and social support services. Importantly, they work on healing the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Being community-governed, AHACs are able to respond to the specific geographic, socioeconomic and cultural needs of the diverse Indigenous communities they serve.

Ontario has pledged to spend $222 million over three years to improve health care for First Nations, especially in the north where aboriginal leaders declared a state of emergency because of a growing number of suicides.The Liberal government also promised to contribute $104.5 million annually — after the initial three years — to the First Nations Health Action Plan, which will focus on primary care, public health, senior’s care, hospital services and crisis support.

The James Bay community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency

in April because of an increasing number of suicides and suicide attempts, especially by young people.“We have learned from the recent health emergency declarations that communities need support in times of crisis and need to know that they can count on the provincial government,” Health Minister Eric Hoskins said Wednesday.“So we will establish dedicated funding, expanding supports including trauma response teams, suicide prevention training, positive community programming for youth, and we will fund more mental health workers in schools.”

Client-centred Care is “…an approach to the planning, delivery and evaluation of home and community care that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among people using the healthcare system, their family and healthcare providers”

a project titled ‘Client-centred Care: Future Directions for Policy and Practice in Home and Community Care’

literature review of Client-Centred Care in the Home and Community Sector

The Globe and Mail Fri May 22 2015

n recent months, the Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake, Que., has re-opened discussion on its controversial 1984 membership law. The renewed debate has been accompanied by provocative developments: Protests outside homes, eviction notices sent to "foreign" residents, accusations of racism from the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and a lawsuit challenging the membership law in court.

This fraught terrain has confused and outraged Canadians, partly because the story has lacked context and nuance in the media. While unique in many ways, Kahnawake is one First Nation among many grappling with these issues. After the failure of the 1969 White Paper on Indian policy and its assimilative prescription to eliminate Indian status and bands, the federal government has been pursuing a slightly amended policy of devolution: First Nations are asked to assume more administrative control of programs and services, from education and health care to housing and infrastructure, but with inadequate resources.

Health Care Assistants include care aides and community health workers. Every day, these dedicated health care staff work miracles to provide quality care to the frail elderly and others who require assistance with their personal care needs. These care staff assist residents, patients and clients with their most intimate care needs like toileting, bathing, dressing and eating. Care aides, community health workers, and other health care assistants -- visit our Time to Care page Check out our wrap on today's edition of 24 Hours Vancouver Listen to our radio ad airing across B.C. on October 18 read HEU secretary-business manager Bonnie Pearson's message on Health Care Assistant Day But care aides and community health workers are also like family, providing opportunities for the social interaction that is so fundamental to quality of life of the elderly. Unfortunately, care aides and community health workers often struggle under impossible workloads to deliver good care in homes, nursing homes and hospitals.

Let's honour HEU's care aides and community health workers.

Every day, these dedicated health care staff work miracles to provide quality care to the frail elderly and others who require assistance with their personal care needs. These front line care staff assist residents, patients and clients with their most intimate care needs including toileting, bathing, dressing, eating and more. For many, they are also like family, providing the social interaction and personal contact that is so fundamental to helping the elderly maintain their quality of life. Unfortunately, care aides and community health workers often struggle under impossible workloads to deliver safe, compassionate care in homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals.

The Sault Star Fri May 6 2016

From fears of further privatization to first-hand hospital horror stories, an abundance of beefs concerning Sault Ste. Marie - and Ontario - health-care services was aired Thursday evening during a town hall meeting hosted by Sault and Area Health Coalition. "We can't put up with this healthcare system," Sault coalition president Margo Dale told about 75 at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25. Dale said she is "sick of the rhetoric" coming from the Ontario Liberals in their explanations for cutting front-line staff and services. Her sentiments were echoed by a number of other speakers, including Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition executive director, who decried what she contends is a profound dearth of dollars being divvied out to Ontario hospitals. On top of four years of freezes to base funding, there's been nine full years in which support has not kept up to inflation.

"The gap gets bigger and bigger and bigger," Mehra said. "The hospital cuts have been very deep, indeed, and another year of inadequate funding for hospitals is going to mean more problems for patients, accessing care and services." In an earlier interview Thursday with The Sault Star, Mehra said Ontario, "by every reasonable measure," underfunds its hospitals and has cut services more than any other "comparable jurisdiction." "The evidence is overwhelming," she said. "It's irrefutable that the cuts have gone too far and are causing harm. The issue is levelling political power and what we have is the vast majority of Ontarians do not support the cuts. They want services restored in their local hospitals and that's a priority issue for every community that I've been too ... And I've spent 16 years traveling the province non-stop." Northern Ontario, principally due to its geographic challenges, is especially getting short shrift," Mehra said. "Because of the distances involved and because of the costs involved for patients, the impact is much more severe on people," she said, adding

The North Bay Nugget Wed Sep 23 2015

The outpatient lab at the North Bay Regional Health Centre is under the microscope as the facility tries to staunch a flood of red ink. We are reviewing a number of different parts of the hospital operation," Dave Smits, vice-president of corporate, said Tuesday. Smits said the health centre is looking at about 40" different initiatives, including the outpatient lab. The health centre announced last week it is cutting 158 full-time equivalent jobs with another 50 possibly to be cut if the province doesn't help with one-time funding for early retirement packages. The hospital also will close 30 beds between the medical and mental health sides of the facility. The hospital has laid off 196 staff over the past three years.

Smits said the outpatient clinic in North Bay operates different from most communities in the province, because there is no private laboratory in the city to handle some of the tests. We are looking at it," Smits said. We've been looking at it off and on over the years. We've talked about it and we continue to go back to it. The question is, if it is different here, is it different good or different bad? Are there options in the community? Will others be able to provide the services in the community?" Smits said the lab at the hospital is heavily utilized and provides a high degree of service." He said any physician in the community can order any type of laboratory test at the hospital's outpatient lab, while other communities across the province have private labs that can pick up the majority of tests.

Contracting Out Hospital Work to Private Clinics – Backgrounder For years CUPE has been concerned the Ontario government would transfer public hospital surgeries and diagnostic tests to private clinics. CUPE began campaigning in earnest against this possibility some years ago with a tour of the province by British Health Secretary Frank Dobson who talked about the disastrous British experience with private surgical clinics.Unfortunately, the provincial Liberal government has now moved in this direction. The door opened a few years ago with the introduction of fee for service hospital funding (sometimes called Activities Based Funding). Then in the fall of 2013 the government announced regulatory changes to facilitate this privatization, with the government finally announcing Request for Proposals for the summer of 2014.

Hospitals are the main focus of the government’s health care cuts. They do not see community hospitals as providing a broad range of services to the local ... [Read More]population, but instead wish to remove an untold range of services from local hospitals and transfer them to specialized private clinics. The proposal would remove the most lucrative, high volume and easiest procedures from community hospitals. The remaining community hospitals would be left with the most difficult services. If they chose to compete with the private clinics, they would have to specialize in a narrow range of services. The government’s plan is the opposite of one-stop, integrated public health care. This proposed privatization of surgeries and diagnostic tests is in addition to the aggressive attempts to remove non-acute care services from hospitals (e.g. outpatient clinics, complex continuing care, rehabilitation, long-term care, primary care, etc.). As acute care currently accounts for only about 1/3 of current hospital funding, these attacks are a grave threat to the viability of community hospitals, and in fact we are now seeing a wave of hospital shut-downs that is somewhat reminiscent of the Mike Harris era. Despite the government’s rhetoric about keeping care non-profit, services that are being cut from local hospitals now are being privatized to for-profit owned corporations. Even if the private clinics did start out as non-profit (which has not been the case so far) the whole system of private clinics could be privatized with a stroke of a pen.

Ontario Health Care Privatization: The push for health care privatization in Ontario picked up in 2001 when Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement announced two privatized P3 hospital projects, the Royal Ottawa and the Brampton Civic (part of William Osler Health Centre). Spirited community-based campaigns, including P3 plebiscites in many towns, forced the Liberal government to greatly narrow the scope of the privatization of support jobs (i.e. CUPE jobs) in subsequent P3 hospitals. Nevertheless privatization of the hospital financing continues, despite revelations by the provincial Auditor General that confirmed claims by CUPE and others that the Osler project cost hundreds of millions more due to the P3.

John McKnight, director of the community studies program at Northwestern University in Chicago and author of the seminal work The Careless Society: Community and Its Counterfeits, gives this definition: “To some people, community is a feeling, to some people it's relationships, to some people it's a place, to some people it's an institution.”But the definition Prof. McKnight prefers is: “Community is a place where people prevail.”

Christine Power, Chair, Board of Directors, Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations

eight policy challenges that can be grouped across the headers of community-based and primary health care, health system capacity building and research and applied health system innovation

Given that we are seven plus years into the 2004 health accord, we believe it is time to open a dialogue on what a 2014 health accord might look like. Noting the recent comments by the Prime Minister and Minister of Health, how can we improve accountability in overall system performance in terms of value for money?

December 3, 2013 The multi-union Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Community Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA) for the 11,000 union members working in community-based social services across the province. The five-year agreement significantly closes the wage gap between workers in this sector and those with equivalent positions in the community health sector.