Cold Lake Continuing Care Lockout Another Sign of a Broken System
Friends of Medicare are calling on the Government of Alberta to take steps to fix a broken continuing care system in light of today's news that Points West Living have served notice to lockout their staff in Cold Lake as of September 29.
"Patients develop an important relationship with support and caregiver staff, and should not be subject to a continuous cycle of labour strife. This is a result of a broken funding model that lacks transparency for public dollars handed to private providers, and is greatly lacking in accountability for money intended to hire and retain quality staff," said Executive Director Sandra Azocar. "This situation is one of many potential labour disputes brewing in Alberta. Our seniors deserve better and it's time we talked seriously about phasing out private care for the stability and quality the public sector provides."
Should the staff end up locked out on Thursday, it will be the 9th time since AHS was formed in 2008 that Alberta has seen a labour dispute with a private continuing care provider.
"The policies this Government inherited around continuing care must be changed, or we will continue to see patients across the province facing this kind of uncertainty, instead of being cared for by respected and valued caregivers," continued Azocar. "It is unacceptable to see new private providers being given grants for millions of dollars when these are the actions they take. We believe the Ministry of Health needs to reconsider its ongoing relationship with providers like Points West Living."
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