TORONTO, ON – A small investment in a Plexiglass barrier would have prevented a patient from stabbing a Perth/Smiths Falls hospital admitting clerk in the neck. Better alarms would have enabled nurses at Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s Health Centre to summon help when a patient, asked to take his medication, became violent. A nurse at a…
SUDBURY, ON – Data show that physical, verbal and sexual assaults against Ontario hospital staff are prevalent and increasing. It is widely understood that workplace violence is under-reported in the health sector. “Hospitals that are dangerous for staff to work in are also dangerous for patients. The level of physical and sexual assault against hospital…
TORONTO, ON — Contract negotiations between the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) abruptly broke down today following the hospitals’ refusal to address the issue of workplace violence. Although other sectors have seen decreases in workplace violence, incidents in health care are rising in Ontario. Nearly half of direct…
TORONTO, ON – Fresh, local, nutritious food is what’s best for convalescing patients. But St. Joseph’s Health Centre intends to close its in-house kitchens and buy plated, microwavable “TV dinner”-style food from a factory operation somewhere outside of Toronto. “It’s the wrong decision,” says Anne Piper, a Registered Practical Nurse at St. Joseph’s Health…
Hamilton – Hamilton’s hospitals are already beyond their tipping point and another massive set of cuts is “reckless and irresponsible”, reported advocates today in a press conference. The Ontario Health Coalition joined leaders from the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE to warn the public about the newest cuts which amount to $27 million. In September,…
Hamilton, ON – Battered by years of provincial funding and care cuts and showing the obvious signs of system distress from overcapacity and not enough staff and ambulances, Hamilton hospitals announced recently that more services will be shed to balance budgets. $20 million will be cut from Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) budget and may mean…
KINGSTON, ON — Below average provincial funding of about 1.4 per cent for the newly amalgamated Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) in 2017, “is bad news for patient care and cause for alarm at a time of significant change,” said Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1974 president Mike Rodrigues at a media conference today.…
KINGSTON, ON — A below par provincial funding allocation for the newly merged Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), “is cause for alarm at a time of significant change,” says Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1974 president Mike Rodrigues. A general 3.1 per cent increase in hospital funding was proposed in the 2017 provincial budget…
ALMONTE, ON – Too many tragic stories about care quality and resident safety in long-term care homes, “should prompt the provincial government to urgent action to make a daily 4-hour resident care standard the law in Ontario,” say Almonte area direct care staff holding a rally tomorrow (Tuesday, August 1, 2017) – 11 a.m. to…
HAMILTON, ON — $27 million in cuts will seriously undermine an already over-stretched hospital system. Cuts announced yesterday of $20 million at HHS (Hamilton Health Sciences) and $7 million at St. Joseph’s Hospital corporations will seriously undermine hospitals already operating over capacity, CUPE charged today. “HHS is operating now at over 110 per…
