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PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – Funding shortages and the absence of meaningful standards of care are putting residents and staff at long-term care facilities across Canada at risk, a panel of experts warned at a public forum in Peterborough yesterday hosted by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
More than 100 people attended last night’s forum at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough to share their long-term care experiences, and to discuss CUPE’s proposals to reform the way such care is delivered across the country.
Simply put, we know money is flowing into long-term care, but it is not reaching the bedside, said CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick, who introduced a discussion panel of experts that included York University Professor Pat Armstrong, Ontario Health Coalition Director Natalie Mehra, and CUPE National Researcher Irene Jansen.
Last night’s event in Peterborough was part of a series of public meetings hosted across the country by CUPE to raise awareness of long-term care issues and to share the union’s proposals to improve conditions for patients and staff.
People who attended last night’s event were encouraged to become active in their local Health Coalition and to sign petitions affirming their support for better, meaningful and legislated standards of care, steps the McGuinty Government in Ontario has consistently refused to commit to.
To read more about the campaign and CUPE’s research on long-term care, visit: http://cupe.ca/long-term-care/tour.
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For more information, contact:
Candace Rennick, CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer 705-768-2288
Chris Watson, CUPE Communications 416-553-9410
