The New Year is always a good time to reflect on the challenges and successes of the past year. When care providers look back over the last 12 months, we can only conclude that this period has been one of the most challenging in recent memory.
In addition to keeping up with the growing complexities of care and the challenges of our aging society, care providers are struggling with underfunding and the lingering impacts of the global economic slowdown. The HST, new program cuts, collective bargaining and increased EI and MSP rates have only made things more difficult.
And despite these challenges, the BC Care Providers Association is making progress and advancing many of the issues facing care providers. For a complete list of our 2009 accomplishments click here. In the meantime, here are just a few examples:
- secured commitment from BC Health Minister to allocate over $50 million in new revenue to increase staffing at residential care facilities over next two years
- increased pressure on Health Authorities to disclose daily funding rates and fill empty residential care beds with seniors waiting in acute care hospital wards
- introduced new health and safety guidelines that were recognized as a leading national practice by Canadian Healthcare Association and designed to help care providers resist pressure from health authorities to accept complex cases in the absence of appropriate funding levels
- actively advocated on seniors' issues in over 150 articles, radio reports and TV stories on behalf of care providers
- secured commitments of over $400,000 from government agencies to develop alternative models of HR/LR services and extend successful BC Cares training partnership to recruit care aides and LPNs
- successfully secured decision from BC Cabinet to allow voluntary membership for care providers in Health Employers Association of BC
- prepared comprehensive report on negative economic impact of HST on seniors' care providers and received commitment from government to mitigate impacts
