mow-ontario

Maclean's | Demand for Meals on Wheels—and the Volunteers Who Make It Possible—Is Soaring

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:35:29 GMT

Community support service providers are entering their busiest season, as the demand for meals and essentials shows no sign of slowing down.

December 7, 2021 - Maclean's

Low-cost meal delivery services have become fundamental components of communities across the country, mostly by way of local Meals on Wheels agencies. Hundreds of thousands of adults in Canada—from seniors and their care workers to people with disabilities—count on the affordable and nutritious meals the services deliver. Many also look to the volunteers for companionship.

Independently-run agencies that prepare and deliver meals exist in almost every province, running primarily on irregular donations and government funding. In Ontario, 74 of the province’s Meals on Wheels providers are members of the Ontario Community Support Association , which helps them with advocacy work and government relations. Without the association, the individual providers “wouldn’t have a voice with the provincial government”, said the association’s CEO Deborah Simon.

As Meals on Wheels providers rev up for their busiest winter season to date, Nathan Sing spoke to Simon and Shannan Ketchabaw, the executive director of Meals on Wheels provider Sudbury Meals, on the staggering demand for low-barrier food delivery services and why nutritious food should be treated as preventative health care.

Read the entire article written by Nathan Sing at Maclean's online.

OCSA Statement on Systemic Racism

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 12:39:33 GMT

Today’s on-going political unrest and large-scale protests are a clear reflection of systemic racism and have real impacts on individuals and their health in our communities in Ontario. This kind of discriminatory hurt can pull apart the communities that we all live and work in.

Systemic racism impacts the delivery of health and social services for many minorities including Blacks, Indigenous people and People of Colour. There is strong evidence now that COVID-19 has augmented these systemic inequalities.

It is only by acknowledging these impacts and their root causes that we can start addressing them. At OCSA, we commit to listening and learning from those who experienced this every day in order to ensure our actions work towards eliminating them.

We call on the provincial government to declare racism as a public health crisis and ensure Black communities and other minorities have access to culturally appropriate home and community care services and develop a clearly articulated, targeted and systemic anti-Black racism strategy.

OCSA Statement on Bill 175 Proceeding to Committee During COVID-19

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 13:11:27 GMT

OCSA Analysis and Statement on Bill 175

The province had actively engaged the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) on the development of a new legislative framework for the home and community care sector, which led to the introduction of Bill 175 and the associated proposed regulation summary on February 25, 2020. OCSA had been supportive of the approach for developing Bill 175 and the province’s plan to modernize the sector. However, COVID19 has halted sector consultations on Bill 175 and the proposed regulations.

In the past number of months, the sector has been solely focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting and delivering services that enable frail seniors and adult with physical disabilities safely isolate and stay healthy during COVID-19. This is why OCSA believes that there is no need to hastily move the bill through the legislative process until further engagement with the sector. At present, OCSA strongly believes that the timing is not right to move forward with this legislation.

COVID-19 has had a great impact on the health sector and has fundamentally changed how services are delivered across the entire health sector. The passing of Bill 175 should be delayed until the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, which would enable the sector to better understand and incorporate key learnings from the pandemic response.

OCSA is calling on government to consult the sector about the lessons learned from COVID-19 in order to ensure a successful transformation of the home and community care sector for clients, providers and front-line staff. Our support of this legislation and associated regulations is contingent on open and transparent collaboration between government, the home and community care sector and other stakeholders. The recent pandemic is a great opportunity for us to learn, adapt and create resilient and sustainable systems for the future. We must make the most of this opportunity.

Summary of OCSA’s Analysis of Bill 175 and the Proposed Regulatory Framework

for the Modernization of the Home and Community Care Sector

At present, the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 (HCCSA) and associated regulations govern the home and community care sector. Much of the clinical and service delivery requirements in home and community care are set out in legislation and regulation as opposed to regulation and policy as is the case in other health sectors. Bill 175 proposes to repeal the HCCSA and establish the Connecting Care Act , 2019 (CCA), associated regulations and policy as the oversight framework to govern the sector. This proposal would shift the clinical and service delivery requirements from legislation to regulation and policy.

Overall, OCSA supports adopting a more patient focused regulatory system for the sector. Bill 175 moves away from rigid legislation that directs clinical services – such as service maximums and the need for client assessments –towards services that are more current and reflective of client need.

Summary of Recommendations

Bill 175

Require Ontario Health Board meetings to be open to the public.
Carry over the exemption from the Public Vehicles Act for transportation services funded by the Ministry of Health.

Bill 175

Enshrine the principle that client fees should not be a barrier to accessing care in regulation.
Develop a provincial framework for care coordination in order to ensure quality and consistency.
Leverage existing care coordination resources to enhance front-line care and focus care coordination on those who need it most.
Develop a clear and consistent policy framework to ensure an equitable and client focused approach to address the removal of service maximums.
Offer support and resources for organizations, especially small organizations, that would be impacted by their designation as Health Information Custodians.
Prescribe through regulation qualification standards and requirements for being a home and community care health service provider.
Establish procurement guidelines for contracting services which include a preference for not-for-profit providers with a history of high-quality service.
Do not proceed with the addition of public hospitals as a location of service for home and community care until comprehensive engagement with both the home and community care sector and the hospital sector is completed.
Consult extensively with the sector before moving forward on the development of new regulations for residential congregate care settings.

CTV News | Front-line workers still waiting for pandemic pay

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Thu, 28 May 2020 20:03:46 GMT

An Orillia company is using its online expertise to help isolated, low-income seniors get the essentials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caredove, a local software company, is already in the business of connecting health-care professionals and their clients with available resources. So, when it was asked by the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) to host a website to help out during the pandemic, “it made sense for us to do it,” said Caredove CEO Jeff Doleweerd.

CBC Windsor News | Pandemic Top-Up

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:50:22 GMT

Story starts at 15:54 mark. Link to source .

Open Letter on Pandemic Pay

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Mon, 25 May 2020 14:14:22 GMT

May 25, 2020

Premier Doug Ford
Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON
M7A 1A1

OPEN LETTER

Dear Premier Ford,

As a broad group of healthcare stakeholders whose members employ tens of thousands of front line workers in the fight against COVID 19, we write to you today to seek immediate clarity on the implementation details and timing of the release of pandemic pay to support frontline workers employed by organizations funded by the Ministry of Health and the LHINs.

On April 25th, we each applauded the Government of Ontario’s announcement that frontline workers would be recognized with temporary pandemic pay for the current challenges they face keeping Ontarians healthy, safe and informed during the pandemic.

A month later, it is still not clear whether the efforts of all of our healthcare workers will be recognized or if pandemic pay is restricted to a subset of employees. Also, funding has yet to flow to the front line and in fact for those front-line workers whose organizations are funded by the Ministry of Health and/or LHINs have yet to receive clarity on whether or not they will be considered front line workers eligible for pandemic pay. This is contributing to extreme morale issues at the front line at a time when staff need to be supported most. It is also creating unnecessary conflict for employers who are left trying to explain to their employees why they cannot provide neither clarity nor the pay itself.

Together, we are urging the Provincial Government to immediately communicate the implementation details, including confirmation that the funding is for all workers on the frontline, and release funding so that frontline workers can start to see the benefit now while the economy is opening up and they are still hard at work to contain the pandemic.

Additionally, to recognize the critical services provided and the team effort required in fighting COVID-19, we continue to urge that pandemic pay be applied to all non-management front line providers, including regulated frontline staff.

Every day, it becomes increasingly difficult to see this great initiative, that has such great promise for health care worker recognition, be undermined by delay.

We thank you for your attentiveness to our request and look forward to your reply.

Yours truly,

(Original Signed By)

Justin J. Bates, CEO, Ontario Pharmacists Association
Anthony Dale, CEO, Ontario Hospital Association
Lisa Levin, CEO, AdvantAge Ontario
Kavita Mehta, CEO, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
Kimberly Moran, CEO, Children’s Mental Health Ontario
Camille Quenneville, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
Deborah Simon, CEO, Ontario Community Support Association
Adrienne Spafford, CEO, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario
Adrianna Tetley, CEO, Alliance for Healthier Communities
Alisha Tharani, Executive Director, Mental Health Partners
Samantha Yau, President, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists Ontario Branch

Cc:

Hon. Peter Bethlanfalvy, President of the Treasury Board
Hon. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
James Wallace, Chief of Staff to the Premier
Mark Lawson, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Premier
Karl Baldauf, Chief of Staff to the President of the Treasury Board
Leif Malling, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

Orillia Matters | Orillia company helping seniors across province get essentials

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 20:09:57 GMT

An Orillia company is using its online expertise to help isolated, low-income seniors get the essentials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vulnerable Ontarians Get the Essentials They Need to Stay Safe at Home During COVID-19

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 14:32:57 GMT

For Immediate Release

Government taps Ontario Community Support Association to coordinate $11 million investment to facilitate access to meals, medicines, and more for seniors and others at risk

TORONTO, April 21, 2020 – The Government of Ontario announced today that the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) will be leading an announced $11 million program to coordinate and subsidize deliveries of meals, medicines and other necessities to low-income seniors and people with disabilities in need, such as those who lack family or community connections, or are in supportive housing environments and community-based independent living programs.

OCSA will work with businesses, volunteer organizations and non-profits to make it easier for Ontario's most vulnerable people to receive the meals, medicine, and other essentials they need to stay safe at home. The new program will leverage Caredove’s state-of-the-art referral network, which is already used by 600+ organizations across Ontario to create trusted networks of care partners with secure and easy-to-use tools. It will also support the expansion of Meals on Wheels programs to under-serviced communities.

“Ontario is committed to protecting the health and well-being of seniors and people with disabilities during this time, said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “Our partnership with the Ontario Community Support Association will harness the power of the Ontario spirit to ensure food, medicines and other necessities are available to those in need while they stay home.”

“Our members are continuing to serve their communities with compassion and commitment as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds,” says Deborah Simon, CEO of Ontario Community Support Association, which represents home care services, Meals on Wheels and congregate dining programs, transportation, and other community support services. “We’re already seeing creative collaborations emerging at the local level to solve local issues. This program will deliver an immediate boost of support and resources into expanding and coordinating the level of care needed to meet the unprecedented demand and keep people well and safe at home.”

More Ontarians need support now than ever. The Ontario Community Support program will roll out leveraging existing services, assisting agencies to onboard new volunteers, and finding additional resources needed to provide enhanced support to vulnerable individuals.

“Home and community care is key to getting Ontario through this crisis,” says Simon. “We’re delighted to be working with the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility to make sure services can continue and expand at this critical time.”

Every year, the home and community support sector provides care to over one million people in their homes or in the community, helping them live independently in safety and comfort. In 2018-19, Meals on Wheels delivered 2,945,119 meals to 49,229 Ontarians.

To identify a local Meals on Wheels provider and request service, eligible seniors and persons with disabilities, their caregivers, neighbours or families should visit https://www.ocsa.on.ca/ .

Those without Internet access, or who require services in languages other than English or French, can dial 211 or 1-877-330-3213 (toll free). TTY service is also available by calling 1- 888-340-1001.

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About OCSA

Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents close to 230 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These compassionate and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario.

For more information, visit www.ocsa.on.ca and https://twitter.com/OCSAtweets .

For interviews and information requests please contact:

Janice Bedore - Executive Assistant to Deborah Simon
Ontario Community Support Association
416-256-3010 ext. 231
Janice.bedore@ocsa.on.ca

Toronto Star | Window is closing to protect disabled community from a COVID-19 outbreak

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 20:19:47 GMT

As the province scrambles to contain the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care homes, disability advocates fear their sector could be next in the pandemic’s path of destruction and the “window is closing” for decisive action that could spare them from similar tragedy.

In the long-term care industry, the ingredients for disaster were baked in from the start: A deadly and infectious virus, buildings full of vulnerable people, and a highly-mobile workforce for whom close contact is part of the job description. But these risk factors are also inherent in “congregate” living spaces for people with disabilities and advocates say there is an urgent need for coherent plans aimed at protecting these vulnerable people.

Personal Protective Equipment in Home and Community Care Settings

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:36:33 GMT

April 10, 2020, Toronto – Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and our over 220 members support over a million vulnerable people across the province and we are proud of all our frontline workers during this incredibly stressful time. Our sector’s main concern during this time of pandemic is the safety of our clients and frontline workers.

We have tabled with government the need to keep our sector top of mind and the need to prioritize the allocation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to allow workers to provide safe care during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are aware of the government’s actions to obtain resources and appreciate all their efforts. However, the current situation at one of our member agencies, Participation House Markham, is a distressing example of the immense challenges facing the province right now in ensuring an adequate supply of PPE across the health system.

The province must act now to ensure the safety of staff and residents of Participation House Markham and other home and community care providers in Ontario. As community spread is now the main transmission vehicle in Ontario, the provincial allocation of PPE must reflect this.

The home and community care sector encompasses a multitude of services and service providers, including congregate settings such assisted living, transitional care homes, as well as home care and community based programs like Meals on Wheels; services that normally can help keep people healthy and out of the hospital. But our sector can only help keep hospital admissions from mounting with support and, particularly during this time of pandemic, access to PPE supplies. We are all trying our best to do our part, but we cannot succeed without the tools we desperately need.

Presentation to Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 74 The People's Health Care Act

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 13:23:52 GMT

By Deborah Simon, CEO

I want to thank you for the opportunity to appear before this committee and to provide the

perspective of the not-for-profit home and community support services health sector on Bill 74,

The People's Health Care Act .

My name is Deborah Simon and I am the CEO of the Ontario Community Support Association.

OCSA represents nearly 240 not-for-profit agencies across the province who provide

compassionate, high quality home care, community support services and independent living

services to over one million Ontarians.

There are many organizations in your ridings that provide invaluable services to seniors and

people with physical disabilities such as in-home nursing and personal support, Meals on

Wheels, Alzheimer day programs, transportation to medical appointments or supportive

housing.

Our sector is a key part in ending hallway health care as we offer over 25 health and wellness

services that keep people healthy, living in their communities, and gets them discharged faster

from hospitals. This includes the delivery of over 3 million meals, providing over 2 million rides

and over 225,000 clients served in Adult day programs.

We know that the current model was not working for providers or clients. We share the

conclusions in the first report by the Council that home and community care services haven’t

grown fast enough, that caregivers are facing bigger and bigger challenges and that there is a

clear need for a long-term capacity plan for the health system.

Our association supports the government’s goal of creating seamless transitions between

hospitals and home and community care – and across the entire health system. We recognize

that the government’s new vision of local Ontario Health Teams who support their patients

throughout their journeys through the continuum of care, offers plenty of opportunity to

strengthen collaboration between providers.

The proposed model definitely has the potential to enable stronger and more direct

relationships between service providers that can translate into smoother care for clients.

However we do have concerns regarding the inclusion of community support services and

attendant care in the core basket of services, the role of not-for-profit delivery, the role of

community governance and the need to address front-line worker shortages. We would like to

share 5 recommendations with you.

The first is that Ontario Health Teams must incorporate a strong model of community

governance and not-for-profit delivery of services. Shared community governance will ensure

Ontario Health Teams understand the health needs of their communities. This knowledge is

necessary to ensure that services are tailored to what a specific community actually needs as

opposed to a one-size-fits-all solution that wastes taxpayer dollars. In addition, a strong shared

community governance will ensure a strong focus on upstream services – including health

promotion, social determinants of health and preventative health.

The important contributions not-for-profit home and community care bring the health system

cannot be overstated. Its return on investment can be measured in many ways. For example,

volunteers contribute over 3 million hours of service each year, providing a value of over $78

million for free to the health care system. We must ensure these important contributions are not

lost in this system transformation.

Our second recommendation is that a list of core services Ontario Health Teams are expected to

deliver across the province needs to be identified. Core services must include community

support services and independent living, along with home care. Keeping people healthy at home

and out of hospitals isn’t achieved through home care services alone. Last year, community

support services and attendant care services enabled over a million individuals to thrive in their

community.

Our third recommendation relates to health human resources. For any transformation to be

successful it must include a plan to support and address the continuing shortage of frontline

workers across the health system.

The current shortage of personal support workers (PSW) is having ripple effects across the entire

health system. People are staying in hospitals longer or delaying the start of home care services

due to the lack of qualified human resources. The government needs to implement a health

human resource strategy to attract and retain PSWs, nurses and other care providers in the

home and community care sector. Any strategy must include a plan to close the compensation

gap for front-line workers between the home and community care sector and institutionalized

care, such as hospitals and long-term care.

The government should also amend the Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act to ensure it

does not become a barrier to innovative service integrations. One way to do this is to return it to

its pre-2006 application, ensuring it only applies to full organizational integrations.

Our fourth recommendation is that existing local collaborations should be leveraged to build

Ontario Health Teams. Good work to build partnerships across sectors has already taken place
at the local level in many parts of the province. Home and community care organizations are

working directly with hospitals to encompass new models of care to streamline handovers and

wrap services around patients. The sector has shown itself to be supportive of integration for the

benefit of patient and client care, we caution against the strategy of reducing the number of

providers arbitrarily.

Our last recommendation regards public accountability. OCSA recommends that the legislation

be amended to ensure that the meetings of the board of governors of Ontario Health must be

open to the public. In the administration and spending of public dollars there must be strong

and open public accountability.

In closing, we are convinced we can utilize the strength of this sector to help government

eliminate hallway health care. We call on the government to strengthen the relationship with our

sector and ensure CSS and home care play a vital role in solving hallway medicine and build a

better system for people that is based on a health and wellness approach.

With the appropriate supports, our sectors alleviate hallway medicine by keeping people healthy

and out of hospitals in the first place and by shortening their stay by ensuring they have

appropriate supports when discharged.

At this point I would welcome any questions to further explain the rationale behind our

recommendations. Thank you.

Ontario’s health care system needs to be rebalanced

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:48:53 GMT

OCSA releases their 2020 pre-budget submission with solutions to help people receive care at home

Toronto, January 23, 2020 – Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the home and community care service providers we represent want to help the government rebalance the health care system so that Ontarians can receive care in the right place. Close to 5,300 patients are receiving hospital care each day while waiting for care in more appropriate settings. Based on the real experiences of many Ontarians, our pre-budget submission highlights two examples of clients in the health system and details how a strategic investment of under a half a billion dollars will allow the home and community care sector to help people live well at home longer for less.

Home and community care services can help prevent Ontarians from going to the hospital in the first place and allow them to live safely at home, instead of costly and unnecessary long-term care. When funded appropriately, the home and community care sector can also discharge people quickly out of hospital.

However, the sector’s solutions face a serious issue; frontline care workers are in short supply and wage freezes threaten to make an already precarious situation even worse. Closing the current wage gap is key to ensuring that people can be supported properly and move through the health care system efficiently.

As stated in our Pre-Budget Submission released today, OCSA believes the government should:

Increase service volumes by 5% by investing $208 million in 2020-2021 – with targeted investments in the expansion of assisted living services for frail seniors and community based transitional care programs.
Issue a directive from the Ministry of Health that all Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) must provide a comprehensive and equitable basket of home and community care services that include home care services, community support services and independent living services.
Direct an average of $156 million a year for 5 years to frontline home and community care workers in order to close the wage gap with hospitals and long-term care.
Invest a much needed $125 million directly into the base budgets of home and community care providers.

“Our current health care system is incredibly out of balance,” says Deborah Simon, CEO of OCSA. “The home and community care sector can help if supported properly, so that Ontarians can receive the care they need in the right place. We know that if no changes are made, the waiting list for long-term care could balloon to 40,000 people over the next few years. Ontarians need relief now. Last year, almost 18,000 people living in long-term care homes could have continued to live at home and in their communities with appropriate funding. With more investments to frontline workers, like PSWs and nurses, and adequate funding for home and community care providers, we can relieve hospital system pressure and free up much-needed resources.”

For more information, please see our pre-budget submission here. Follow #careathome2020 on social media.

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About OCSA

The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents over 220 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services to over one million Ontarians. Our members help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These proactive and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario.

Interviews are available with OCSA CEO Deborah Simon. For more information please contact:

Michele Vantrepote
Communications Manager
Ontario Community Support Association
416-256-3010 x 242
michele.vantrepote@ocsa.on.ca

2020 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 14:18:09 GMT

A SYSTEM IN NEED OF REBALANCING

Helping Ontarians live well at home through home and community care

Introduction

At the heart of our health care system are Ontarians who need and receive critical health services at home and in their communities. This point is often lost in the discussions about hallway health care, the alternate level of care (ALC) issue and health system transformation. This submission will tell the stories of Eric, Joy and Albert to illustrate the way the current health care system shapes the lives of everyday Ontarians and how the impact of home and community services can help to rebalance outcomes.

In 2019, a record 5,400 patients in Ontario hospitals were designated ALC and in June, there were over 1,000 people being treated in hospital hallways across the province.1 Not only is this an ineffective use of limited resources, it is a situation that no patient or family member wants to experience. In fact, the cost of caring for a single patient using an ALC bed for one year is comparable to three people living safely and independently at home and in their communities in the same period.

Our health system needs to be drastically, yet safely, rebalanced to better serve people. Home and community care services have untapped potential to help end hallway health care and reduce the demand for more expensive institutional settings like hospitals and longterm care. A recent study found that the biggest concern of people transitioning home from hospital was not enough publicly funded home care services to meet their needs.2 The development of Ontario Health and Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) are a key opportunity to strengthen the home and community care sector by enhancing integrated care across the entire health care system.

We know that if no changes are made, the waiting list for long-term care is expected to balloon to 40,000 people over the next few years. This is a situation that can be alleviated. Last year, almost 18,000 people living in longterm care homes could have continued to live at home and in their communities if the proper supports were available and appropriately funded.3

Ontarians, like Joy and Eric, wish to receive care at home and in their community, but systemic issues can prevent that from happening, costing all of us in the long run.

Community Support Organizations Collaborate with Ontario Health Teams

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 15:42:54 GMT

For Immediate Release

Community Support Organizations Collaborate with Ontario Health Teams to Alleviate Pressure on Hospitals

TORONTO, October 1, 2019 – October is Community Support Month and organizations that deliver home and community care are working hard to create partnerships with Ontario Health Teams to deliver seamless services to Ontarians in need.

During this time of intense transformation and health care system change community care frontline providers are on the ground supporting seniors and persons with physical disabilities to remain in their own homes and communities. Since these services encompass health promotion, preventative services and re-enablement services, they not only meet a client's current needs, but, more importantly, they defend against decline and more serious needs in the future.

There are over 25 different services including personal care and home helps, Meals on Wheels, Alzheimer and adult day programs, transportation to medical appointments, caregiver support, and hospice and palliative care services.

While more long-term care beds are needed, until increased capacity is ready, additional resources for the home and community support sector will help alleviate current pressure on the healthcare system and meet the needs of the vulnerable public clients that desperately need support now.

“Not-for-profit home and community care providers are excited to break down barriers and work even more closely with their local partners to better serve clients and patients in their area,” says Deborah Simon, CEO of Ontario Community Support Association. “Community Support Month highlights the amazing frontline work these organizations do – work that helps take the pressure off the health system during this time of change.”

Here are the specific celebration days for the month:

Follow the conversation on social media at #CSM2019, #InvestInCSS, #EndHallwayMedicine and #OHTs.

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About OCSA

Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents close to 240 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These compassionate and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario.

For more information, visit www.ocsa.on.ca and https://twitter.com/OCSAtweets.

To arrange an interview and more information please contact:

Michele Vantrepote

Communications Manager

Ontario Community Support Association

416-256-3010 ext. 242

Michele.Vantrepote@ocsa.on.ca

OCSA applauds significant investments in home and community care

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Budget 2019 makes a smart investment of $267 million in the home and community care sector, which will help to end hallway health care and supports the government’s transformation agenda

For Immediate Release

Toronto, April 11, 2019 - The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA), applauds the government’s decision to invest $267 million in the expansion of home and community care. Today, the government took an important step in the right direction to improve client/patient care and end hallway health care. This investment recognizes the key role home and community care plays in optimizing patient and client flow through the health care system and provides the funding for successful outcomes.

By investing in the entire continuum of home and community care services, including community support services, attendant care services and home care services, the budget recognizes the tremendous impact the sector can have in freeing up hospital capacity, reducing demand for long-term care facilities and giving clients the opportunity to live independently and safely in their homes and communities for as long as possible.

“Budget 2019 makes a smart investment that will have a significant positive impact on clients and the health and well-being of all Ontarians,” said Carol Annett, Board Chair of Ontario Community Support Association and CEO of VHA Home HealthCare. “These investments will enable more seniors and people with physical disabilities to live at home and in their communities longer, play a crucial role in ending hallway health care and contributes to a successful health system transformation.” OCSA looks forward to our continued collaboration with the government and health system stakeholders to make care better for all in Ontario.

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About OCSA

For more information, visit www.ocsa.on.ca and https://twitter.com/OCSAtweets.

Interviews are available with OCSA Board Chair and VHA Home Health Care CEO, Carol Annett.

For more information please contact:

Michele Vantrepote

Communications Manager

Ontario Community Support Association

416-256-3010 ext. 242

Michele.Vantrepote@ocsa.on.ca

2019 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission

tim@caredove.com (Tim Berezny) — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 14:36:15 GMT

Executive Summary

Ontarians want the opportunity to live independently in their homes for as

long as possible. Unfortunately, far too often the reality is much different.

An aging and increasingly medically complex population, coupled with

chronic underinvestment, has resulted in an unprecedented capacity

challenge across our health care system. Overcrowding of hospitals has led

to “hallway health care,” with many patients too sick to return home

without supports and waiting to receive a more appropriate level of care.

The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) applauds the

government’s commitment to end hallway health care. OCSA knows that

there is a clear need to build capacity across the health care system, but

that will take years. Ontarians need relief sooner and the home and

community care sector is an essential, cost-effective and readily available

part of the immediate solution.

Effectively utilizing the sector will help to free up hospital capacity, prevent

unnecessary emergency department visits, and give clients the opportunity

to live independently and safely in their homes and communities for as

long as possible. In addition, the home and community care sector

encompasses health promotion, and preventative and re-enablement

services, helping to avoid unnecessary and costly hospitalization and

institutionalization.

While the home and community care sector has the potential to help end

hallway health care and restore the province’s finances, this can only

happen if the challenges facing the sector are addressed. Through

targeted investments, the development of a health human resource

strategy to attract and retain frontline staff and a reduction of

burdensome red tape, home and community care can be leveraged to

ensure the best care in the most appropriate setting and reduce costs to

the system.

The Ontario Community Support Association looks forward to partnering

with government as it takes steps to transform our health care system for

the people of Ontario.

mow-ontario

Maclean's | Demand for Meals on Wheels—and the Volunteers Who Make It Possible—Is Soaring

Community support service providers are entering their busiest season, as the demand for meals and essentials shows no sign of slowing down.

OCSA Statement on Systemic Racism

OCSA Statement on Bill 175 Proceeding to Committee During COVID-19

OCSA Analysis and Statement on Bill 175

Summary of Recommendations

Bill 175

Bill 175

CTV News | Front-line workers still waiting for pandemic pay

CBC Windsor News | Pandemic Top-Up

Open Letter on Pandemic Pay

Orillia Matters | Orillia company helping seniors across province get essentials

Vulnerable Ontarians Get the Essentials They Need to Stay Safe at Home During COVID-19

Government taps Ontario Community Support Association to coordinate $11 million investment to facilitate access to meals, medicines, and more for seniors and others at risk

Toronto Star | Window is closing to protect disabled community from a COVID-19 outbreak

Personal Protective Equipment in Home and Community Care Settings

Presentation to Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 74 The People's Health Care Act

By Deborah Simon, CEO

Ontario’s health care system needs to be rebalanced

OCSA releases their 2020 pre-budget submission with solutions to help people receive care at home

2020 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission

A SYSTEM IN NEED OF REBALANCING

Helping Ontarians live well at home through home and community care

Introduction

Community Support Organizations Collaborate with Ontario Health Teams

Community Support Organizations Collaborate with Ontario Health Teams to Alleviate Pressure on Hospitals

OCSA applauds significant investments in home and community care

Budget 2019 makes a smart investment of $267 million in the home and community care sector, which will help to end hallway health care and supports the government’s transformation agenda

​2019 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission

Executive Summary

2019 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission