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(SARNIA) – Despite assurances by
the Canadian Mental Health Association that
costs will be trimmed and wait times reduced as
a result of local mergers, the evidence shows
that the ranks of management are growing along
with wait times.
“The public has been led to
believe that these mergers are some sort of
magic wand that will suddenly eliminate the
shortcoming in our mental health care delivery,”
said Tischa Battram, president of OPSEU Local
133 which represents care workers at local
branches of the CMHA.
“But the reality is something
entirely different,” she said. “What we’re
witnessing is more layers of management and
administrative support, and less front line
workers who deliver much needed care and
treatment.”
Battram was commenting on recent
announcements from local CMHA officials who
insist the agency has achieved cost savings
through “consolidation” of management and
administrative positions as a result of the
merger of branches in Sarnia-Lambton and
Chatham-Kent.
To bolster its case the union
points to the recent appointment of new senior
managers (to supervise middle managers), and
more hires for management and administrative
positions in human services, communications and
community engagement, the finance department and
technology services.
At the same time there has been
an exodus of more than 35 per cent of staff at
the CMHA Sarnia-Lambton branch, including a
public educator, several clinical specialists
and up to 10 front-line case workers.
With the upheaval at the
management level and the failure to fill
vacancies as staff depart, wait lists grow even
longer, said Battram. The biggest losers, as
always, are those clients for whom the queue
lengthens even further.
“All these changes were supposed
to have reduced wait times, but they haven’t,”
she said. “The failure to fill vacancies in a
timely manner is the single most significant
reason why patients wait longer to receive
treatment.” |
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