Thursday, 13 June 2013

Guest blogger Nic Good: Stop cuts. NOW!


Fred Horne,
Minister of Health
Government of Alberta

Dear Sir:
I would first like to commend you on a job well done. Your decision to fire the entire AHS board was an excellent one. With your position as health minister comes great power. It is up to you to choose how you direct that power. The AHS board deserve nothing less for defying your recommendation to withhold the bonuses, especially amid all the cutbacks and deficit reduction that you are placing on the backs of persons with disabilities. I am a person with a disability and you are putting in place a plan that will greatly influence my quality of life in a negative way.

You and the premier Alison Redford have stood at the podium and repeated time and time again that the quality of care we will receive after giving the contracts to a for-profit agency will remain at the same standard and high level that I am receiving right now. You have said that we should trust you in this changeover. You have said that the well-being of the people receiving the care is your utmost concern. Please explain to me how the following situation is possible.

Revera is the for-profit agency that is taking over the contract for care at Abby Road. The very first day that Revera was on site to announce their scope of work they said that they will provide the service of warming up meals; however they do not do meal preparation. The Abby Road agency did meal preparation AND heating. Explain to me then how this is not a reduction in the quality of care? How is this possible when you have stated over and over the quality of care will remain the same? On the first day the agency taking over announces their scope of work to be inadequate compared to the previous agency! On the first day!

Are you kidding me?! There are only going to be more shortfalls. There will only be a growing number of persons with disabilities receiving inadequate care with your new system. Here is another situation that requires a decision to be made by someone with immense power. That person is you. I strongly encourage you to fix this before it even gets started. I strongly encourage you to make an exception for Abby Road, Art Space, and Creekside. Renew their five-year contracts, let them keep their existing caregiver agency, let them remain fully in control of their care. You have the authority to allow these people to continue living with the caregivers of their choosing! Any reduction in quality of care has an equal affect of reducing quality of life. Please stop this change now!

Regards,

Nic Good



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