Statistics Canada maintains a snapshot of how Canadians die. The chart not only gives an indication of how nearly a quarter million of us cast off this mortal coil each year, but suggests where we are making progress and where … Continue reading →
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OPSEU Diablogue: Looking upstream: Law Commission report a step in the right direction
If Ontario really wants to look at upstream investments to improve population health, it may want to pay attention to an unlikely source – the Law Commission of Ontario. In August the LCO issued an interim report on vulnerable workers … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: What does Dalton McGuinty have against physiotherapists?
In 2005 the Ontario government partially delisted physiotherapy, limiting public coverage to Ontarians who are age 19 and younger or 65 and older, to those receiving Ontario Disability Support or Family works, or to anyone who has spent at least a … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Picket outside Oshawa Health Centre clinic brings partial answers
Picketing OPSEU members got a partial result for their efforts outside the Oshawa Health Centre on August 27. Medical office assistants at the Oshawa Health Centre were calling for the medical clinic’s owner to reveal his plans for the future … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: 27,000 patients affected by closure of Oshawa medical clinic
Dr. Adrian Pettyan is retiring, but staff at his medical clinic may be excused for not taking up a collection to buy him a gift. Pettyan is closing the busy Oshawa medical clinic, disrupting access to primary care for about … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Summit organized for Kitchener-Waterloo by-election
A coalition of community and labour organizations is hosting a local summit in Kitchener-Waterloo in time for the September 6 by-election. The by-election will determine whether or not the McGuinty government can pick up the seat vacated by former MPP … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: PSW Registry – Many issues unresolved despite impending deadline
As the deadline approaches for home care personal support workers to register with the government’s new PSW Registry, key issues remain up in the air and are unlikely to be resolved soon. PSWs may very well ask what they are registering … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: UK hospitals can’t compare notes on the price of private care
Public hospitals in the UK are no longer able to compare prices charged for private care in their hospitals. Eight hospital trusts in England have provided assurances that they will not exchange pricing information after a whistleblower complained that the … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Is the OHA next to experience public wrath over executive bonuses?
It seems there are two choices with regards to executive compensation. The first is to simply place executives on salary and expect them to do the job they get paid for. That’s how rank and file employees get paid. The … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Fun with funding – for profit “envelope” gets biggest share of increase
Provincial long-term care funding is delivered to Ontario’s nursing homes bundled in what the Ministry likes to call “envelopes.” These figures are allocated for each resident under care. There is an envelope for nursing and personal care, another for program … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Ontario gets worse grade than feds on CMA report card
Ontario is the only region in Canada to receive a worse rating than the federal government on how it deals with health care according to the Canadian Medical Association’s National Report Card for 2012. The report card represents a poll … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Economic downturn taking toll on health of Canadians – CMA report card
The economic downturn is taking a toll on the health of Canadians according to the Canadian Medical Association’s annual report card. The report card represents a poll of Canadians conducted in July by Ipsos Read Public Affairs. According to the … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Hospital cuts in the new gilded age
We’ve heard it all before – there’s no money and cuts have to be made to some of our most cherished services, including hospitals. But is it true? The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance is just the latest hospital to announce cuts … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Operation Maple: Lack of inspection, staffing a cocktail for disaster in Ontario’s nursing homes
Ontario has too few staff caring for residents in its long-term care homes. Coupled with too few inspectors — most homes have not had a detailed inspection since 2009 — it is a cocktail for disaster. How many scandals will … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Editor’s Picks: Some recent stories you may have missed
It’s time for our summer break. We won’t be posting again until mid-August, but you may want to explore some of the almost 600 articles that are already up on our site. This year we won an award for best web … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Ontario hospitals: Only Mexico to pass to reach the fewest beds per capita
Here’s a given – as Ontario hospitals start to shed services and staff in the next three years, the government is inevitably going to proclaim the benefits of serving patients in the community. The Canadian Institute for Health Information recently … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Drug shortages: Sandoz crisis prompts hospitals to kick drug habit
Sandoz may find that demand for its intravenous drugs may not be what it once was. This winter the multi-national drug company was pressured by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fix problems with the production line at its … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Giant umbrella part of Medicare protest July 18
Health care advocates are urging the Harper government to return to the table and negotiate a new 2014 health accord with the provinces. The message is part of a national day of action July 18 – a week before provincial … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Venture capitalist says middle class are job creators, not super rich
“In a capitalist economy the true job creators are middle class consumers,” says American venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. Delivering a “TED talk” earlier this year, Hanauer says “taxing the rich to make investments that make the middle class grow and thrive … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: 48 per cent say supervisor taking Niagara hospital in wrong direction
The Niagara Health System’s supervisor has commissioned a poll on his interim recommendations for the struggling multi-site hospital. If anything, the poll confirmed why Kevin Smith had been appointed by the province. Pollara conducted a telephone survey in June of … Continue reading →
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