Hamilton home care advocates are calling on the Ford government to release the money | Rare Techy

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The provincial home care worker advocacy group is calling on the Ford government to speed up the release of funding announced in June.

The Hamilton-based advocacy group for provincial home care workers is calling on the Ford government to speed up the release of funding announced in June.

Ontario’s home care campaign comes at a time when health care across the province is facing significant challenges due to the pandemic and staff shortages.

“Behind the headlines that hospital beds are full is the cold reality that our entire health care system is under strain,” says Sue VanderBent, CEO of Home Care Ontario. “This means our seniors, families and most vulnerable citizens are waiting longer for care.”

“We must act now.”

“With the right supports, home care is the fastest and most effective way we can provide our loved ones with the care they need and deserve,” she adds.

In the summer budget, the province announced a massive $1 billion investment in home care. To date, only $120 million of this funding has been committed.

Home Care Ontario is calling on the government to accelerate spending the remaining $880 million.

“Unlike hospitals and other institutions, home care requires virtually no physical infrastructure. It can scale faster than any other part of the health care system,” Home Care Ontario said in an official statement.

The organization says the additional funding is critical to stabilizing the home care workforce and reducing pressure on hospitals, helping to improve care for seniors and patients across Ontario.

Specifically, Home Care Ontario’s Bring Care Home campaign is designed to draw attention to the loss of workers in the sector, which the organization says numbers in the thousands.

Today we start #BringCareHome, a new campaign calling on the government to step up funding for the home care sector. It is time to stabilize home care workers to reduce pressure on hospitals and provide better care for patients. #ONpoli https://t.co/NEUreijgI

— Home Care Ontario (@HomeCareOntario) November 23, 2022

Home Care Ontario says the province should “immediately” provide funding to raise wages, revamp funding models to help more patients get out of hospitals and back home.develop a system-wide health workforce strategy that prioritizes home care and expand the newly created Seniors Home Care Tax Credit to better support older Ontarians who wish to continue living at home.

“We need to act quickly to help our health care system and our patients — and nothing is faster than home care,” VanderBent said. “A well-functioning home care system relieves the pressure on hospitals. This helps reduce hospitalizations by avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency department and accelerates the discharge of post-operative patients ready to recover at home.

“We know that’s what patients want and our new campaign is all about that.”

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