Ontario Community Support Association
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Release: Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities At Risk Due To Increased Costs

11/28/2017

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Province Urged to Increase Funding To Cover Implementation of New Labour Legislation

TORONTO, November 28, 2017 – Agencies that provide health care services to seniors and people with disabilities warn that Ontario’s new labour legislation could force them to reduce services, create waitlists, or increase client fees.

A recently released report commissioned by the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and Home Care Ontario and produced by KPMG estimates that the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act will increase costs for home and community care agencies by $85 million annually. $1.6 million of this increase is due to the minimum wage increase, and other significant costs include changes to scheduling, emergency leave and vacation requirements. Many of these changes come into effect on January 1, 2018.

The $85 million financial cost is the combined equivalent of one million PSW visits, 400,000 nursing visits and 70,000 allied health service visits through home care agencies, and over 450,000 hours of personal support, attendant care, and administrative work in community support agencies.
​
OCSA is supportive of most aspects the new legislation, which have enormous potential to benefit the home and community care workforce, and clients in turn. However, these benefits can only be achieved if appropriately funded. In order to avoid any negative impact to patient and client care, OCSA is calling on the province to commit to funding resultant service delivery cost increases.

Services such as home care nursing, personal support services, Meals on Wheels, Alzheimer and adult day programs, transportation to medical appointments, caregiver support, and palliative care are an essential part of Ontario’s health system, serving over a million Ontarians per year. Most of these services are provided by not-for-profit organizations, and most have not received increases to their base operational funding in seven years.

“When the government makes significant changes to health care operations, it must be ready to find solutions to resulting challenges faced by clients and caregivers,” says Deborah Simon, OCSA CEO.

The government has taken steps to alleviate pressures facing small business and municipalities, and the Ministry of Education has promised a funding package to child care centres. However, the government has yet to address the concerns of home and community care agencies.

“We fully support measures which build a healthier workforce, but there’s no need for those measures to be at the expense of the seniors and people with disabilities who count on us,” says Simon.

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About OCSA
Across the province each year, over one million people receive home care and community support services – and the need is growing. The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents 270 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These compassionate and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario. For more information, visit www.ocsa.on.ca.

Interviews are available with OCSA CEO Deborah Simon. For more information please contact:

Breanne Armstrong
Communications Manager
Ontario Community Support Association
416-256-3010 x 242
breanne.armstrong@ocsa.on.ca
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OCSA supports bill to enable increased access to home and community care

3/21/2017

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The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) believes that all Canadians should have the opportunity to receive high-quality home and community care, including palliative care. Therefore, we support Bill 54, Home Care and Community Services Amendment Act (Dan's Law), and urge the Standing Committee on Justice Policy to call it to committee.

The bill is named in honour of Dan Duma, a man who moved from Alberta to Ontario to be closer to family at the end of his life, but wasn’t able to access home or hospice-based palliative care due to a required three-month waiting period for publicly insured home and community care.  He died from liver cancer one month into the waiting period. Thankfully, dedicated health professionals were able to provide Dan with “informal” hospice and home palliative care, but it is crucial that no one else face the same dilemma and that all Canadians are able to die in dignity, in the setting of their choosing.

By eliminating the three-month waiting period to access home and community care, Dan’s Law provides a common sense solution. Not only do most patients prefer home and community care, it is also significantly less expensive to provide than other forms of care to which the waiting period does not apply. Removing the waiting period is a logical change which is good for clients, and good for Ontario’s health system.

We encourage Ontario to honour Dan’s legacy and demonstrate leadership by removing an inefficient and unnecessary barrier to care, and ensuring true portability of health care services across provinces.

What You Can Do: E-mail the members of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy urging them to call Dan’s Law to committee:

Shafiq Qaadri (Chair)
LIB / Etobicoke North
sqaadri.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Lorenzo Berardinetti  (Vice-Chair)
LIB / Scarborough Southwest
lberardinetti.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Mike Colle
LIB / Eglinton--Lawrence
mcolle.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Bob Delaney
LIB / Mississauga--Streetsville
bdelaney.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Nathalie Des Rosiers
LIB / Ottawa--Vanier
NDesRosiers.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Monique Taylor
NDP / Hamilton Mountain
mtaylor-qp@ndp.on.ca

Jim McDonell
PC / Stormont--Dundas--South Glengarry
jim.mcdonellco@pc.ola.org

Daiene Vernile
LIB / Kitchener Centre
dvernile.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Bill Walker
PC / Bruce--Grey--Owen Sound
bill.walkerco@pc.ola.org

Questions? Please contact Patrick Boily at patrick.boily@ocsa.on.ca. 
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  • Home
  • About
    • About Home and Community Support
    • Types of Services
    • About OCSA >
      • Mission and Vision
      • Staff Directory
      • Location
      • Board of Directors
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership >
      • Partners
      • OASSIS Employee Benefit Plans
      • OCSA Office Supplies Program
    • Become a Member
    • Members Only
    • Full Members
    • Corporate Members
  • Training
  • Media Room
    • Statements & Media Releases
    • OCSA in the news
  • Resources
    • Policy & Research
    • Tools & Resources
    • News
    • Collaboration Coach
    • Events >
      • Community Support Month 2018
      • Leading Change Forum >
        • March for Meals 2017 >
          • 2018 March for Meals
          • 2016 March for Meals Coverage
    • Careers
  • LeaderShift
    • LeaderShift Project
  • Quality Advantage
  • Conference