[OPIRG-EVENTS] HOME CARE CUTS ON THE AGENDA September 5th, 9:30 a.m. Ottawa City Hall

["C.Ailes" <cailes1@yahoo.com>]

August 29, 2002
PRESS RELEASE

HOME CARE CUTS ON THE AGENDA
 Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee
Meeting, 
September 5th, 9:30 a.m. at the Champlain Room (Ottawa
City Hall),
 lll Lisgar Street OTTAWA

For more info call: Sue Clark (721-l833) or visit our
WEBSITE at: http://stophomecarecuts.tripod.com or info
on Bill l30 - how it suppresses the CCACs at
http://www.web.net/ohc/jannews3.htm

	WILL GRAHAM BIRD, CHAIR OF THE OTTAWA COMMUNITY CARE
ACCESS CENTRE (CCAC) SHOW UP AT THE NEXT HOME CARE
CUTS MEETING??? HE ALREADY MISSED THE JUNE 20TH
MEETING.......
	Mr. Bird plans to attend the September 5th meeting of
the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee
Meeting at 9:30 a.m. Champlain Room, City Hall.......
let's wait and see if he does show up......
	On June 20th Graham Bird, Chairman, of the Ottawa
Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) chose not to
attend the Health, Recreation and Social Services
Committe Meeing at City Hall. His agency, the CCAC has
cut 5,900 clients off their home care/housekeeping
services as of April 5th.
	Mr. Bird sent a letter to the June 20th Meeting of
the Health, Recreation, and Social Services Committee
Meeting (HRSS) which the chair of the committe Alex
Munter read the letter from Mr. Bird. The letter was
read as followed. Mr Bird wrote: "We are currently
conducting a baseline review that is examining all
aspects and operations of the CCAC. This review, which
we will share with the community and gladly share with
the HRSS Committee at a mutually agreeable time, will
provide the CCAC with the framework to move forward
and make the necessary decisions to ensure that we are
providing services to the greatest amount of people as
possible.".
	Chair Munter said he was disappointed that Mr. Bird
chose not to attend.. He said it appeared to him that
the CCAC has enough information to make these cuts and
to eliminate service for nearly 6,000 people in the
City of Ottawa. Chair Munter stated he was stunned to
hear Mr. Bird comment to the media earlier in the day
that he was opposed to the City increasing the Home
Help budget to make it available to the poorest
seniors and disabled residents.
	Councillor Dean commented that she found it odd that
CCAC would make the cuts first and then do a review.
Councillor Cullen went on to say that the City should
be applying pressure to the Province and in this
regard, he suggested a delegation, headed by the Mayor
and including clients and service providers be sent to
Toronto to meet with the Ontario Health Minister and
explain the very direct impacts these cuts have had.
He said he would be supporting the staff
recommendation but felt that more work needed to be
done and indicated he would be putting forward a
motion with respect to a delegation from the City
meeting the Health Minister. (The Mayor has not gone
to Toronto with a delegation yet. Mayor waiting for a
response from Tony Clement, the Ontario Health
Minister)
	Councillor Arnodl indicated she supported the
amendments put forward by Councillor Cullen and said
this was a desperate attempt to respond to the needs
that exist but are clearly beyond the capacity of the
property tax base. The Councillor said clearly, these
cuts are not about budgets, they are about priorities
and the political priorities are not matching the
community priorities.
	Councillor Doucet felt that the City should be more
active on this issue. He spoke of the hypocrisy of the
Provincial Government, in that when they reduced the
funding to hospitals, they said they would increase
home care. Now they are decreasing the home care
services.
	The Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee
recommend Council:
	l. Request that the Board of Directors for the Ottawa
Community Care Access Centre (CCAC):
	a. Reverse its decision to eliminate homemaking
services to the community until a more thorough study
of the impact of such a decision and the options for
clients is undertaken;
	b. If recommendation a.) is not immedialy possible,
evaluate the effects of the eliminiation of homemaking
services to all former clients within sixty days of
the date the services were removed to determine if any
dangerous or unhygienic conditions have developed,
whether alternative services are locally available
and, in cases of need, reinstate the services;
	c. Undertake a thorough study of the importance and
necessity of homemaking services towards quality of
life, overall health care and ability to sustain
independence in the community.
	d. As part of its study, hold a community
consultation with respect to the need for and
importance of homemaking services for its clients and
the impact of the eliminiation of homemaking services
to quality of health and level of independence;
	e. Work with service providers in the community,
consumers and other community partners, including the
City of Ottawa to explore the development of
provincially funded options to the delivery of
homemaking services by the Ottawa Community Care
Access Centre.
	2. Direct People Services to expand access to seniors
and disabled persons who qualify for financial
assistance according to the Home Help program
criteria. (200 people on the waiting list for the Home
Help Program as of August 28). This will result in a
budget pressure for 2003.
	3. That the City of Ottawa request an urgent meeting
with the Minister of Health and Long Term Care, Tony
Clement on the adequacy of Provincial funding for home
care services in Ottawa; and
	that the Mayor of Ottawa lead the City's delegation
to Toronto, accompanied by appropriate City staff,
service providers and home care clients. (The Mayor
has not lead this delegation as there has been no word
yet from the Health Minister)
	4. That staff be directed to work with community
partners to develop a mechanism for releasing to the
public, information on the impact of these cuts.
	These were CARRIED as amended , with Councillor D.
Eastman dissenting on Recommendation 2 at the June 20,
2002 at the Meeting, Health, Recreation and Social
Services Committe, City of Ottawa.
	Come out to the September 5th meeting of the Health,
Recreation and Social Services Committee at 9:30 a.m.
(Champlain Room, Ottawa City Hall, lll Lisgar Street)
and speak out about the home care cuts. The home care
cuts have have hurt many vulnerable people in our
city. No one should have to go through this. Home care
is a right.
	Our Coalition Stop Home Care Cuts wants the Ottawa
City Council to sponsor our trip to Toronto to see
Premier Ernie Eves and demand that funding to home
care be reinstated immediatly. City Council got our
letter re our trip at the August 28th City Council
Meeting at the Ottawa City Hall. (see our website at
http://stophomecarecuts.tripod.com) If you support our
trip, call the City Council and let them know (see
website at City Hall at http://city.ottawa.on.ca/
	 - 3 0 - 


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