calgary_news
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Residents & families can rest easy that homes for Albertans with disabilities will not be privatized
After many months of waiting, Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Community and Social Services, announced today that the Alberta government will maintain the current service model for residential and personal care facilities for people with disabilities in Edmonton and Calgary. Albertans who have called these Direct Operations sites their homes for years or decades will be able to remain there under public operation.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
January 29, 2021 -
Friends of Medicare stands today in support of Albertans with disabilities
Friends of Medicare will be standing today in support of Albertans with disabilities, who are currently supported and cared for under publicly-run Direct Operations at homes and respite centres in Edmonton and Calgary.
Approximately 200 guardians of disabled Albertans were given notice on June 10th that the UCP government was “exploring alternative service delivery”—code for privatization—of Edmonton’s Rosecrest home for children, the Hardisty and Balwin respite centers, Edmonton group homes, and Calgary’s Scenic Bow home.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
October 27, 2020 -
Backroom deals, political influence are dictating Alberta's health care
Today’s CBC story highlights the lengths that this government will go to in order to push their privatization agenda on Albertans. A new private orthopedic surgical facility—the largest ever in Alberta—has been proposed on the site of Ericksen Nissan, next to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, and has already gained the Minister of Health’s “tentative political support.”
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
August 10, 2020 -
Government setting the stage for the closure and possible relocation of existing supervised consumption Services
As reported in the media today, Premier Jason Kenney is already setting the stage for what could be the closure or relocation of Supervised Consumption Services (SCS) in Alberta. While the Supervised Consumption Services Review Committee was tasked with reporting to the government by the end of 2019, their report has yet to be publicly released.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
January 21, 2020 -
FOM joins Foothills front-line workers
FOM stands in solidarity with Foothills front-line workersOn July 3rd, Friends of Medicare will be joining AUPE front line workers, health care advocates, labour leaders, and community members as they come together in support of the invaluable Albertans who provide health care services and public services to all of us, day in and day out.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
July 03, 2019 -
Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable
Funding delays for new supervised consumption services are unacceptable
On Friday, May 31, the UCP government announced that they will be suspending funding for supervised consumption sites currently under development in Medicine Hat and Red Deer, and a mobile consumption site in Calgary. Jason Luan, Associate Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, indicated that his party will also be conducting a review of all existing sites, and that they will be “looking at consumption sites in light of the whole strategy – the overall strategy of intervention and treatment. It is a whole scan, from awareness, prevention and intervention to treatment.” The review has halted the development of the three proposed sites, and its results could impact the continued funding of existing sites across the province.It was a serious escalation in opioid-related deaths in Alberta that prompted a harm reduction response in the form of the approval of supervised consumption services, initially in 3 urban centres: Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge. The central tenet of harm reduction is the reduction of stigmas and judgments about drug use and addiction, and is based on the understanding that there are people who engage in these behaviors who are not willing or not able to stop doing so. Harm reduction aims to reduce the health risks associated with these behaviors, such as public safety concerns like public drug use and discarded needles, the transmission and spread of blood-borne infections, overdose, and ultimately death.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
June 03, 2019 -
Show me your friends, I'll tell you who you are
MEDIA RELEASE
OCTOBER 5, 2018
EDMONTONShow me your friends, I'll tell you who you are
Today the United Conservative Party will be hosting Premier Doug Ford in Calgary. This alliance between Premier Ford and Alberta Premier hopeful Jason Kenney, is in short, a concerning one for those of us who are wary about a potential repeat of the massive cuts that Ontario has been experiencing under Ford's leadership.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
October 05, 2018 -
#TBT: Fall of the General Hospital
Throw Back Thursday:
Fall of the General Hospital, October 4th, 1998
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the demolition of the Calgary General Hospital. Between 1992 and 2006, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein devoted his attention to eliminating Alberta’s budget deficit. Under his leadership, claiming health care to be one of the areas requiring the most ‘constraints’, Klein oversaw significant cuts to the health budget.
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
October 04, 2018 -
Sundre Bed Closures Show Lack of Commitment to Care and Community
Friends of Medicare are calling on Alberta Health Services to consult with and respect the wishes of the people of Sundre and the long-term care residents in the Sundre hospital.
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Victorian Order of Nurses Closure Another Example of Failure in Private Care
After announcing today that they will be ceasing operations in Alberta, home care provider Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) have demonstrated yet again why experiments in private care must be ceased."This is now twice since 2013 AHS has lost a contract for home care services," said Friends of Medicare Executive Director Sandra Azocar. "Home care should not be subject to the pressures of a competitive market. It's clear that instead of a race to the top for quality care, we have a race to the bottom to slash costs which squeezes out not-for-profit groups like VON."
Written by Fom Friends of Medicare
November 25, 2015