Three Key Investments into Home and Community Care Needed to Safeguard the Future Sustainability of our Health System
TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) calls on the province to invest $677 million into the home and community care sector to enable Ontario's most vulnerable to live well at home and in their communities, protect and optimize hospital and long-term care capacity and strengthen the frontline workforce.
In our pre-budget submission, we outline seven clear reasons why the province should invest $677 million into the home and community care sector in Budget 2022. This investment would:
1) Ensure there is capacity to deliver home and community care services by providing $470 million to increase the salaries to home and community care frontline staff and exempting the entire community health sector from Bill 124, including community primary care, mental health and addictions and not-for-profit long-term care.
2) Prevent cuts to community support services and independent living services that would lead to more hospitalizations and early admissions to long-term care by investing $57 million in community support services base funding. Without this 5% increase, many organizations will either be in financial deficit position or be forced to cut service levels, leading to insurmountable waitlists and increases to client fees.
3) Allow the clearing of the surgical backlog by ensuring the delivery of the additional home care volumes announced in the Fall Economic Statement by injecting an additional $150 million directly into the sector's service providers. Without this 5% rate increase, providers won't have the necessary infrastructure and operational sustainability to continue delivering services.
Home and community care services serves diverse clients of all ages, province-wide, from those with mild needs to the highest needs clients, including persons on dialysis and ventilators.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the importance of these supports, and the critical role they play in the health care sector helping clear the surgical backlogs and relieving pressure on long-term and acute care" said Deborah Simon, CEO of OCSA. "The lives of patients and clients are at risk without the necessary and sustainable funding from the province; the well-being of caregivers is at risk, and the unmanageable impacts on hospitals and long-term care will continue."
To read all the reasons why Ontario's home and community care sector needs funding now, see our pre-budget submission here. Follow #7reasonstocare on social media.
About OCSA
Celebrating our 30th anniversary, the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents close to 230 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services to over one million Ontarians. Our members help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These proactive 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 or @OCSATweets.
SOURCE Ontario Community Support Association
Interviews are available with Deborah Simon, CEO, OCSA. For more information please contact: Janice Bedore, Executive Assistant, [email protected], 416-256-3010, 1-800-267-6272, ext. 224
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