Health-care union applauds council's home care resolution

Canada's largest health-care union is giving the thumbs up to Sudbury city council's decision to back a resolution calling on all levels of government to work together to strengthen public health care and fulfil the promise of home care.

The resolution, introduced by Ward 4 Councillor Evelyn Dutrisac, is an initiative of local SEIU Healthcare members who deliver home-care services throughout the city.

"We have been promised that care will be available to us when we need it most," said Sudbury resident Mike Price, who helped to bring the resolution to council. "However, with more than 10,000 people in Ontario currently waiting for home care, the time to fulfil the promise of home care is now."

By 2036, nearly one in four people in Ontario will be a senior requiring more care, medications and more attention, according to a news release from SEIU. Governments have acknowledged that much of the problem can be answered by home care and have promised to meet this challenge by funding and investing in home care.

“So far, this has been more talk than action,” the union said in the release.
To ensure the promise of home care is delivered, SEIU Healthcare is working with members and volunteers in communities around Ontario to raise awareness of this issue and encourage municipal councils to voice their support for strengthening public healthcare by passing resolutions.

SEIU Healthcare is calling on all levels of government to work together to strengthen public health care and fulfil the promise of home care by:

-Cutting waiting lists for home care;
-Providing relief to family caregivers;
-Guaranteeing security and peace of mind for seniors and families that depend on home care by ensuring that every health professional coming into their home is trained and qualified;
-Insisting investments go the frontline, not the bottom line;
-Demanding transparency and accountability; and
-Protecting the heart of health care by attracting and retaining personal support workers with fair and reasonable compensation and incentives like retirement security.

"Ontarians deserve to get the home care they have been promised," said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare, which represents 55,000 health care and community service workers in Canada. "The time for talking is over and the time to act is now."

For more information visit www.fulfillthepromise.ca.