Provincial budget strengthens home and community care to ensure the right care is available at the right time in the right place

TORONTO, May 2, 2013 /CNW/ - Ontario's 14 Community Care Access Centres are pleased by the Ontario government's $260 million investment to improve timely access to home and community care for more  people across the province.  The investment was included in the provincial budget tabled today in the Ontario legislature.

"Like the government, we know that Ontarians want to live, age and receive care in their own homes as long as possible," says Sharon Baker, Chief Operation Officer of the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC).  "Caring for more patients at home  strengthens the entire health care system, better meets the needs of patients, and is a better value for Ontario's taxpayers.  It is the best place to invest in health care - and makes the biggest difference for the people who need it."

As Ontario's population ages, patient care is shifting more to the  home and community, and this is what many people have said they want.  This investment will strengthen the home and community care sector as a whole to ensure that people, especially seniors and those with complex care needs, can live independently in their communities and homes for as long as possible.

"This investment will also ensure that CCACs are able to  support  the people who need care the most and relieve pressure on other parts of the health care system," says Baker.  "CCACs work with their LHINs and other health care partners to help people avoid unnecessary hospital stays or delay long-term-care home admission."

CCACs are not just serving more people, they are increasingly serving more vulnerable and complex patients with higher care needs.  Many patients already receive care in less than 5 days.  With this  investment we will be able to achieve this target with even more people.

About Ontario's CCACs
Ontario's 14 Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) get people the care they need in their homes and communities across the province. Caring for more than 635,000 people annually, CCACs work with families to help determine the right care and health supports to keep people at home for as long as possible.  CCAC care coordinators are dedicated nurses, occupational therapists, social workers and other care professionals helping people stay safely in their homes longer.

In 2011-12, CCACs cared for more than 637,000 people, including:

• 517,965 patients receiving home care
• 79,226 children receiving health-care services in their schools
• 98,000 people accessing long-term care homes
• 25,680 patients receiving palliative care at home

SOURCE: Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres

Gabriella Skubincan 
Director, Communications, OACCAC 
P: 416.640.4803
Mobile: [phone] 
[email protected]
www.oaccac.on.ca