A new building is often seen as a solution for the updated delivery of health care. It’s true they usually reduce energy costs. If designed correctly and collaboratively, they can also contribute to higher operational efficiency. Ontario invested heavily in … Continue reading →
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OPSEU Diablogue: Home Care: Giving and taking away
The government gives, the home care agencies take away. Many of OPSEU’s home care agencies are presently at the bargaining table. You’d think this would be the best of times for the professional and support staff that conducts the often … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Two-thirds of Ontario PSWs excluded from wage adjustment
It was clear from the start that the much applauded increase for Ontario’s Personal Support Workers was not going to apply to all. Back in April the government noted that “more than 34,000 of Ontario’s PSWs deliver care, assistance and … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Summer Break
We’re taking a break for summer. See you in September.
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: The politics of “ableism” and hard-working babies
If there was a party game that could be applied to the recent provincial election, it would have involved some kind of participant action every time a politician uttered the words “hard-working families.” It’s an odd phrase – does that … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: One helluva story
Glenn French has a helluva story to tell. The President and CEO of the Canadian Initiative on Workplace violence provided the keynote speech after two days of meetings by OPSEU’s Mental Health Division. He spoke about a cleaner in a … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Mental Health: No easy answers, but there are still answers
There are no easy answers, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t answers. We’ve been meeting in downtown Toronto to try and tackle the issues behind the injuries front line professional and support staff are sustaining by simply going to work … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: The day after: health care issues still smoldering
There’s got to be a morning after. Tim Hudak has announced he is stepping down and the Kathleen Wynne Liberals now have a majority parliament. So what happens now? There are several outstanding issues in health care. The first is … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Tories can’t add — Hudak way off on LHIN savings
Somebody please go to the buck store and get PC leader Tim Hudak a calculator. We previously reported that the Tories long-standing pledge to eliminate the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) was missing from their platform. Tim Hudak did eventually get … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Who’s values will prevail on Thursday?
Whoever shows up to the polls tomorrow may determine Ontario’s next Premier and whether she or he enjoys a majority or minority government. The question is, will that be decided by a majority of Ontarians, or will it reflect a … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: The end of efficiency – will appropriate care become the new system of rationing hospital services?
The relentless pursuit of efficiency may be coming to an end for Ontario hospitals. Thank goodness. As former OHA chief Tom Closson said today at Longwood’s Breakfast With The Chiefs forum, year after year it gets more difficult for hospital … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Greens leave out health care from their streamlined platform
The Greens had an in-depth party platform on health care in 2011. In this election they can barely bring themselves the say the word “health.” The only mention it gets in the Greens streamlined platform is around poverty reduction and … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Parties respond to Alliance questionnaire on mental health
We’ve previously noted that all parties had little to say in their official platforms when it comes to mental health care. The Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Alliance recently surveyed the four main parties asking a series of specific questions … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Two-thirds of Ontarians would vote for a strong health care platform — Nanos
It was a curious decision by the media conglomerate putting on the Tuesday’s leaders debate. Limiting viewer questions to six, you’d have thought one of them would have dealt with Ontario’s struggling health care system. As it was, health care … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Beach Reads: Intersection between commerce and health care leads to murder
The intersection of health and commerce perpetually raises the question whether the impetus for change is motivated by good health practice or private greed? Our pollster regularly reminds us that profit is not a dirty word, but when it comes … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Paid Plasma Debate: The Atlantic describes how desperate donors deceive plasma screeners
When it comes to collection of plasma for pharmaceutical purposes, Canada appears to be on the verge of becoming more like the United States. That may not be a good thing. The private for-profit Canadian Plasma Resources has a plan … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Kingston hospital project to cost $164.9 million more under privatized deal
Ontarians are paying a premium of $164.9 million to replace Kingston’s mental health and rehab hospitals with a public private partnership. That’s nearly 38 per cent more than the public alternative. The figures come from Infrastructure Ontario’s own Value for … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Shocking police statistics show health restructuring targets for what they are – hopelessly outdated
If ever there were evidence to suggest its time the government abandon the mental health bed targets set out in the 1990s Health Restructuring Commission, it is the skyrocketing encounters between police and Ontarians with mental illness. According to the … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: New head of UK health system says centralization of hospital services a mistake
The Ontario government has frequently looked to England in setting the course of health care reform. From public-private partnerships to “commissioning” of private clinics to deliver public care, the model has also given us a preview of what mistakes are … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Liberals promise to cap hospital parking fees – not roll them back
After years of telling hospitals to raise the price of parking to make ends meet, the Liberals are now saying they will cap such costs should they be returned to office. The cost of parking tends to get little attention … Continue reading →
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