BCCPA officials met with the new BC health Minister Michael de Jong last week in Vancouver. Pictured with Minister de Jong; Ed Helfrich BCCPA CEO (left), Mary McDougall BCCPA President and David Cheperdak BCCPA Vice President (right).
Last week in Vancouver, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) representatives had their first full meeting with the newly appointed BC Minister of Health Michael de Jong. Minister de Jong was appointed by new BC Premier Christy Clark last month. Minister de Jong is a very senior Minister in the new Cabinet and has successfully managed other complex portfolios for the government over the past decade - including as the Minister of Justice, Solicitor General, Minister of Forests and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. He is also the MLA for Abbotsford-West.
BCCPA CEO Ed Helfrich said Minister de Jong appears to be very committed to working with care providers and renewing the partnership we have established to improve the efficiency, sustainability and quality of seniors care in BC. "We are very appreciative of the Minister's interest in seniors care issues and his commitment to be accessible to care providers on an ongoing basis."
The introductory session with Minister de Jong followed two previous meetings with his Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Margaret MacDiarmid (MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview). It focused on a number of topics which BCCPA officials will be following up on with the Ministers office and his department on over the summer, including:
- implementation of new policy manual and province-wide care provider contract
- need to address challenges associated with capital funding needs
- seniors care human resource challenges - retention of workers
- outstanding recommendations of BCCPA Action Plan
BCCPA officials also presented the three policy resolutions approved by seniors care providers at the Association's Annual General Meeting that took place in May: The resolutions approved in Whistler are focused on:
- improvements to care aide registry
- reallocation of client user fee revenue to residential care
- reducing waiting times of seniors waiting in hospitals for community home or residential care
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