Alberta and Ottawa Must Reject Sale of Continuing Care to Chinese Investment Company

Sale of Retirement Concepts to Chinese Insurance Company Anbang Would Impact Patients in 2 Calgary Based Supportive Living Centres

Friends of Medicare are calling on governments in Alberta and Ottawa to oppose and reject the sale of Alberta's continuing care in two Calgary supportive living facilities to international investors.

As reported on November 28 in the Globe & Mail multi-billion dollar Chinese based Anbang Insurance Group intends to takeover BC based Retirement Concepts in a bid estimated to be worth over a billion dollars. Retirement Concepts also owns and operates Millrise Place and Monterey Place supportive living facilities in Calgary.

Parkland Report Confirms NDP Falling Short on Long-Term Care Promise

Report finds Alberta's continuing care is 79% privatized with no significant improvement since the election of the NDP Government.

Friends of Medicare are calling on the Alberta Government to recommit to their election promise to create "2,000 public long-term care beds over four years" in light of damning evidence provided in today's Parkland Institute "Losing Ground: Alberta's Residential Elder Care Crisis" report on long-term care in Alberta. Further steps should be reviewed and taken to phase out private continuing care entirely, in keeping with their election promise to "end the PCs' costly experiments in privatization, and redirect the funds to publicly delivered services."

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.

Expansion of Private For-Profit Care Not to be Applauded

Friends of Medicare are calling on the Alberta government to change the public discourse when it comes to long-term care in Alberta in light of today's announcement highlighting the opening of a private for-profit continuing care centre approved by the previous government.

“Evidence is clear that for-profit facilities provide reduced care hours compared to their counterparts in the public sector. Experience tells us that staff face significant issues with for-profit companies like AgeCare. To top it off the public is kept in the dark with no transparency for the millions in operational funds that are handed over to these health profiteers,” said Executive Director Sandra Azocar.

Accountability and Transparency Needed for Long-Term Care Operators

Friends of Medicare are calling for accountability and transparency for private for-profit operators like Park Place Seniors Living in light of today’s announcement from Alberta Health that they will be opening 99 beds in Edmonton’s Villa Marguerite.

Beds Remaining Open but Data Lacking in Sundre Long-Term Care Compromise

Friends of Medicare are relieved to see 5 long-term care beds remain open at the Sundre Hospital as reported in the Sundre Round-Up, but justification for closing the other 10 beds lacks proper data.

Budget 2016 Provides Healthcare Stability in Tough Times

With funding increases of 3% for health care in 2016, Friends of Medicare are relieved to see population growth and inflation met with 2016 spending despite the economic downturn and pressures for funding cuts.

Today March 31^st, marks 12 years since the last negotiation of a Canadian Health Accord. That accord had expired in 2014. We continue to see aggressive and increased privatization, from pay-for-plasma to private MRIs and much more. We have stalled on progress towards a national seniors strategy and still do not have a commitment to a national public drug plan. The need for a new accord is clear.

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.

From the December 8 Edmonton Journal:

http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-shift-continuing-care-to-public-sector

Written by Executive Director Sandra Azocar and Public Interest Alberta's Seniors Task Force Chair Noel Somerville

Government should redirect public funding from for-profit continuing care facilities, say Noel Somerville and Sandra Azocar