CHSLD Laundry services: Settlement of class action brings closure

MONTREAL, Sept. 19, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Conseil pour la protection des malades and 89 CHSLDs of the Quebec health and social services network are pleased to announce the conclusion of an agreement in connection with a class action instituted in 2011 against 58 public and 31 private CHSLDs.

The dispute concerned the quality as well as the gratuitous nature of laundering and maintenance of personal clothing for residents of the CHSLD defendants.

Among other things, the settlement agreement, in the amount of $1,349,585, contains a remedial measure providing for indemnification of $944,668, to be paid for by the CHSLDs participating in the financial part of the settlement. The purpose of this indemnification is to improve the living environment of the residents by financing new activities or the purchase of equipment not included in the services provided by the CHSLDs concerned as part of their normal operations.

However, class members who prefer to receive compensation may claim the amount of $40 per month if they paid for laundry service during the period covered by the agreement, or $30 per month if they did their own laundry or had it done by a friend or relative. Any such compensation paid will be deducted from the amount contemplated for the aforementioned remedial measure.

The parties are also pleased to have agreed on a policy concerning the laundering and maintenance of the personal clothing of CHSLD residents which sets the standards for the services and quality thereof that will henceforth be provided by those institutions. The adoption of a laundry policy represents a historic gain for residents of long-term care centers, as does the remedial measure contained in the agreement, which is a very innovative provision.

The parties hope that this agreement will bring closure to this component of the services provided by the Quebec health and social services network.

This agreement will be submitted for approval to the Quebec Superior Court on December 19, 2013.

Class members who wish to receive compensation may submit their claims by December 18, 2013, and are invited to consult the website of the lawyers acting for the plaintiffs at www.roylarochelle.com to obtain the claim form.

More details will be provided in a notice to be published in the newspapers.

SOURCE: Conseil pour la protection des malades

Me Martin André Roy
Roy Larochelle Avocats inc.
338 Saint-Antoine Street East - Suite 300
Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1A3
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