FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2006
Enshrine funding
guarantees before programs are downloaded: OPSEU
The downloading of hospital
outpatient programs serving the seriously mentally ill must
not happen without key protections being put in place,
cautioned the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).
The union was responding to a
new report by a provincial advisory group to the Ministry of
Health and Long-Term Care. The group has released
recommendations to guide the downloading of a wide-range of
mental health programs from hospitals to community agencies.
“If this downloading goes
ahead, thousands of people with a serious mental illness and
thousands of health care workers could be affected,” said
OPSEU president Leah Casselman.
The report does not go far
enough in urging the government to enshrine funding,
staffing and service quality guarantees before the
downloading happens, she said.
“We have to make sure this
shift to the community isn’t an excuse to cut costs, reduce
staffing levels and lower the quality of services,” said
Casselman.
The hospital outpatient
programs target different populations of the seriously
mentally ill. They include schizophrenics, dementia patients
in nursing homes, forensic patients under the jurisdiction
of the Ontario Review Board, those living with a
developmental disability and mental illness, and those
living with an addiction and mental illness.
Casselman pointed out that
the advisory group did not consult health care workers and
their unions in hospitals or community agencies.
“This is only going to work
if staff with the specialized skills and experience follow
their work into the community,” said Casselman.
“We call on the government to
immediately commit to negotiating a province-wide Human
Resources Adjustment Plan to minimize service disruptions,
ensure staff continuity, and eliminate uncertainty for
everyone involved.”
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For further information:
Megan Park (416) 443-8888
ext. 8207
