Bill 11: Continuing Care Act does nothing to improve the quality of continuing care in Alberta

The Continuing Care Act, tabled yesterday by the UCP government, is woefully lacking in any meaningful changes to improve Alberta’s continuing care system. The Bill follows the government’s Facility-Based Continuing Care Review, and consolidates 15 pieces of current legislation that oversee our continuing care system.

As of today, it’s been two years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic.

In that time, we have faced challenges which would have seemed inconceivable mere months before. Lost jobs. Sleepless nights. Empty shelves in the grocery stores. Shuttered businesses. Months or years separated from family and friends. For many, lost loved ones. 

EDMONTON - Today, on the two year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, a coalition of seniors’ advocacy organizations are launching a campaign demanding that the government legislate a Seniors’ Advocate, a role that the UCP axed early in their tenure in the legislature. 

Once again, the government is pushing privatization instead of investing in strengthening our public health care when we need it most

Further privatization in health care was the predictable theme of today’s provincial budget. A keystone item was the government following through on their stated plan to greatly expand private surgical services in Alberta, by accelerating the Alberta Surgical Initiative.

“The government’s budget was more of the same. It presents very little in terms of new plans for our health care, instead defaulting to the same old tired strategy of cuts and privatization. It was their plan all along, it was merely delayed as a result of the pandemic,’ said Chris Gallaway Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “The UCP government’s unprecedented pursuit of privatization throughout this health care budget represents the abandonment of Albertans and our health care system when we need it most.”

The UCP government’s agenda continues to prioritize privatization over Albertans’ health care needs

EDMONTON -- This afternoon the Alberta government tabled their Speech from the Throne. It promised disappointingly little in terms of protecting and improving Alberta’s public health care, and provided no indication as to how the government plans to repair the damage that their approach to COVID-19 has wreaked on our health care system. 

This Op Ed by FOM's Executive Director, Chris Gallaway, originally appeared in the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald on February 15, 2022.

Over 100 positive COVID-19 cases in Chartwell Griesbach Retirement Residence – just one of hundreds of outbreaks in Long Term Care and Designated Supportive Living facilities in Alberta

EDMONTON — The fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on our communities, our health care system and our seniors’ care system. As with each prior wave, it is the residents and workers of continuing care facilities who are bearing the brunt of this burden. As of January 25, the Government of Alberta COVID-19 Outbreak Tracker shows 110 Long-Term Care Facilities and 195 Supporting Living Facilities with active COVID-19 outbreaks. While the government’s tracker does not show the number of staff or residents impacted in each of these outbreaks, documents obtained by Friends of Medicare show that at least one facility has surpassed 100 positive cases.