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By rdnewsNOW Staff

SHIFTING TO MINISTER NIXON'S PURVIEW

UCP announces structure changes for continuing care to mixed reactions

Oct 16, 2024 | 5:06 PM

The Government of Alberta has announced the next steps it will take to update continuing care, which will include severing it into a separate healthcare pillar to be run under Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon’s ministry.

In a statement, Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange said she will remain as an oversight minister and that Alberta Health will still assist in deciding how services are delivered in the future.

“Establishing a new provincial health agency dedicated to continuing care gives us the opportunity to broaden our efforts to care for all Albertans who need daily supports and services in continuing care homes, supportive living or through home and community care. Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon will become the sector minister for the new continuing care provincial health agency,” she said.

Nixon said the change will not impact service delivery or funding in any way, and that he will be looking to expand home and community care in innovative ways.

“A new, unified approach will include a new, user-friendly online platform to connect partners and Albertans to continuing care supports and enable people to request the services they need directly. And we won’t be doing this in isolation – we are establishing a transitional committee that will help guide the transformation, and we will be consulting with key organizations, operators and experts,” he explained.

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In response to the announcement, some groups are calling the move an “uberization” of services.

Lori Sigurdson, Alberta NDP shadow minister for seniors, continuing care, and home care issues, said the announcement sounded like unnecessary added complexity for seniors and a fancy way of saying that services will become privatized.

“Today’s continuing care announcement is the second day in a row where Albertans see the UCP reshuffling deck chairs on a sinking ship instead of fixing health care. These new administrative changes do not build a single new continuing care bed or offer more service for our loved ones who are stuck without options between hospital and home. This doesn’t solve the very real problem of motel medicine that Danielle Smith created. The UCP’s idea today is sending people a meal using an app versus actually getting them the care they desperately need,” she commented.

Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare released a joint statement as well, which said they are “raising the alarm,” following the announcement.

“Albertans don’t fall into one category when they need care – they are one person and need seamless access to all pillars of health care,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Instead, Premier Smith is creating more chaos, splitting off continuing care from the rest of the health care system in order to sell it off.”

Bradley Lafortune, executive director of Public Interest Alberta said, “The proposed changes will wreak further havoc for seniors and Albertans in a continuing care system that is already in crisis.” he added, “The only beneficiaries of today’s announcement are for-profit interests. Alberta’s seniors and those in need of continuing care deserve better.”

Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare are holding a letter-writing campaign to call for minimum care staffing hours.

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