Cuts to mental health jobs in
Southwestern Ontario will put patients and staff at risk
LONDON – A plan to cut an estimated 800 jobs
in the mental health sector in Southwestern Ontario will put staff and
patients at risk and devastate community mental health programs in the area,
says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Mental health professionals
will picket the office of MPP Steve Peters to protest job losses in his
riding and throughout Ontario.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 2007
TIME: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
PLACE: 542 Talbot Street, St.
Thomas
The Ministry of Health and St. Joseph’s
Hospital (Regional Mental Health Care) plan to make further cuts to mental
health staffing, programs and beds.
Smokey Thomas, 1st Vice- President of the
Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says that the government must put
regulations in place to ensure that the skilled workers will continue to
provide these vital services in the community.
“The government appears to have no plan that
will assist an orderly transition of services,” Thomas said. “We saw this
debacle in the 1970s with the closure of large psychiatric hospitals. We
don’t want a repeat of that failure.”
Community mental health care workers are not
covered by any human resource labour adjustment plans. If the government
does not ensure continuity of care, community mental health services will
suffer from skilled worker shortages.
“OPSEU members vow to fight this issue up to
the next provincial election on October 10, 2007,” said Kim Anderson,
president of OPSEU Local 152. “Skilled mental health workers must be able to
continue to provide much-needed services in community mental health when
their jobs are transferred to local community agencies.”
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For further information:
Kim Anderson (519) 765-8660
Rob Kinnear, Staff Representative (519)
494-3035
