B.C. Health Coalition plans 2009 health care campaign

'Now is the time for action.'

Vancouver (11 Dec. 2008) - The B.C. Health Coalition (BCHC) will launch a seniors’ health care campaign called No More Broken Promises in January. It will focus on the growing crisis in seniors’ health care around B.C.

The coalition is calling on all British Columbians to stand up for seniors and people with disabilities by sending 5,000 letters to Premier Gordon Campbell demanding that the province provide quality, accessible health care and improve necessary services such as home support and long-term residential care.

“Despite dozens of reports, studies and recommendations, the provincial government is not moving quickly enough to address the ongoing crisis in seniors’ health care,” says Joyce Jones, the coalition's community co-chair.

The coalition is a province-wide network of organizations and individuals representing over 600,000 British Columbians. It is asking the province to do the following:

Establish an independent seniors’ advocate.
Create 5,000 new not-for-profit residential care beds.
Assess population needs and meet the national average of beds per 1,000 people aged 65 years and older while taking into account people with disabilities and ensuring that these requirements are exclusive of assisted living beds.
Meet recommendations of the 2006 Premier’s Council on Aging by allocating $125 million now to expand publicly delivered, not-for-profit home support services with 24-hour access.
Increase direct nursing care hours in residential care to 3.5 hours per day.

“We spent the year meeting with seniors and seniors’ advocates from around the province to discuss the crisis in seniors’ health care and it is clear, now is the time for action,” says Jones.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has been a vocal national advocate on issues of long-term care. Specifically, the union has raised concerns about staff shortages, heavy workloads and other urgent matters in an excellent document entitled Dignity Denied - Long-Term Care and Canada's Elderly. The publication is available online and can be ordered free of charge. NUPGE