Letter from Carol Finnie to Burnaby Now
Dear Editor:
Re: Seniors' care homes get more funding, Burnaby NOW, June 19
We read with interest the article about seven Burnaby seniors' care homes getting additional funding from Fraser Health.
It is ironic to read about getting additional funding as the New Vista Care Home has not yet received final confirmation on our budget from Fraser Health.
In a meeting with Fraser Health on June 10, representatives of New Vista received a "funding model template" that included a proposed funding line item indicating "net additional dollars" at $71,007 for the 2010/11 year. In reality, the proposed funding from Fraser Health for New Vista represents about a $200,000 shortfall for the real cost of our operations.
In addition, Fraser Health's proposal for funding care for our residents at New Vista does not address inflation, salary increases for licensed practical nurses, nor does it address the costs to provide long-term disability benefits for our employees, as we are contractually obligated to pay.
In fact, the long-term disability costs for our employees at New Vista have increased significantly from $200,000 in 2003, to over $800,000 in 2010, an amount which Fraser Health has only partially funded. The cumulative shortfall year over year for the New Vista Society has amounted to over $1.7 million. The impact of this shortfall for the society means that every year we are forced to reduce staff and/or offset this shortfall through our investments. Hopefully, we will be able to have some fruitful discussions so that we can negotiate a fair payment for the services we provide to support our vulnerable residents.
Carol Finnie, CEO New Vista Society
