News & Events |
Ontario’s Home Care System in Crisis The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA), representing not-for-profit home and community care agencies across the province, is appealing once again to the McGuinty Government to put a stop to the flawed system of selecting home care providers that is taking place across the province right now. The current Community Care Access Centres’ (CCACs) procurement template includes no recognition of historical local involvement or integration with other critical health services. This disadvantages local, community-based services that have long-standing community partnerships and high-quality, specialized care. Since the fall election, OCSA has called on the government to stop further competitions, extend contracts with existing providers and hold an independent review to find an approach that will work better for clients, workers and providers. OCSA demands an immediate moratorium be placed on the release of any new Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and halt current RFP processes underway. Contracts with current providers should be extended with appropriate rate increases, as has just been done in the Hamilton CCAC where the current providers have been extended to 2006. All CCACs should be doing the same thing to facilitate the health care system transformation promised by Health & Long-Term Care Minister Smitherman. On July 14, the Minister announced that new community-based Local Health Integrated Networks will soon be created featuring shared accountability for providers, government, community, and consumers. And yet, instead of building community capacity, the flawed CCAC system last week saw the cancellation of home care contracts for two well respected, long-standing community partners: VON in Niagara Region and St. Elizabeth Nursing in Halton. Contracts were awarded to new providers with no experience in those communities. Every time providers change, there is further destabilization in each community. There is no incentive for workers who repeatedly lose their jobs, to remain working in home care. Clients lose their care providers with whom they have developed long-standing caring relationships. The President and CEO of VON Canada, Judith Shamian, stated at a rally last week in St. Catherines: “The better employer you are, the less likely that you will be able to stay in the [home care] business.” “If the government truly wants an integrated community-based system, then it has to immediately stop the current method of selecting home care providers and restore the provider arrangements that were previously in place,” said Joe McReynolds, CEO of OCSA. The new Local Health Integrated Networks will go a long way to changing the current home care delivery system but we cannot wait for the transformation process to roll out. Further changes in the CCAC system need to be put on hold now! The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents 360 community support agencies that provide a broad basket of services such as Meals on Wheels, adult/Alzheimer day programs, personal and home support, transportation and supportive housing programs. Member agencies have 25,000 staff and 100,000 volunteers. Twenty-seven agencies also have home care contracts with CCACs for personal support, nursing and therapies. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Lori Payne, OCSA
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