Local healthcare leaders and critics react to slight influx of federal funding
Local healthcare leaders and critics react to slight influx of federal funding
As Canada’s premiers rush to absorb the impact of this funding, healthcare leadership in Windsor-Essex is also curious how it will impact the many systemic issues that plague our system.
From surgical backlogs to crowded emergency rooms and burned out staff, there are many things to fix in healthcare.
But like the premiers, some don’t believe the federal government’s new deal is enough.
“In an eggshell, we’re extremely disappointed in Justin Trudeau,” said Shirley Roebuck of the Ontario Health Coalition.
The coalition believes the new money will equate to roughly an additional $300 million of funding in Ontario each year.
But Roebuck takes issue with the fact that there are no strings attached — and worries the province will use it to fund more private delivery of healthcare.
“That money, as bad as it is, should be put back into our public hospital system and healthcare,” Roebuck argued.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj wants more time to understand how that funding could flow and notes the devil is in the details, which he still needs to see.
But Bill Marra, the president and CEO of Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare, thinks the premiers will accept the offer.
“I think it would be a mistake to say no to the transfer payments that have been tabled,” said Marra. “I think it's imperative that the resources be received. And then the ongoing lobbying should be based on data.”
Marra says Hotel Dieu is going through a service delivery review, asking tough questions about what can be done differently so that any additional monies have a greater impact.
“Let's make sure that we're not throwing new money at old practices that don't work anymore,” said Marra, adding an innovative and progressive approach is necessary.
The hospital is currently focusing on reducing wait times and removing pinch points like ambulance code blacks and ER diversion.
“There's more of a role for community to play, and that the hospitals, we should stay in our lane and stay focused on our core services,” Marra said.
There are no details yet about what level of funding could reach local hospitals.
But healthcare leaders agree the system is at an inflection point and needs to deliver on its core mandate.
“It's what Canadians expect,” said Marra.
“They want timely access to health care, and they want health care that will provide a solution to whatever it is that they're experiencing.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has announced that after nearly 24 hours of Liberal attempts to block it from happening, Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford will testify about foreign interference.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just released a new report and its alarming conclusions are a must-read for anyone who cares about what kind of planet we’re going to leave to our kids, writes former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
About 10 people have been displaced and damage is estimated at $1-million after a fire in Aylmer on Monday. John Street in Aylmer, Ont. has reopened in both directions following a fire on Monday night.
An 81-year old property owner tells CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council. Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.
The Old South Community Organization (OSCO) is expressing concern about city staff’s failure to consult with stakeholders before recommending that Thames Pool be decommissioned.
Market trends in Simcoe County show an increase in viewings and buyers re-entering the market after key interest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada warded off many last year.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
A member of the city of Ottawa's board of health is speaking out about body shaming after receiving a letter that said she shouldn't serve on the board because of her weight.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
New Brunswick's finance minister is scheduled to table a provincial budget Tuesday as the government grapples with problems in health care and housing and the effects of a population surge.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
An Edmonton couple working to support first responders' mental health says the last few days have been very trying for local service members and their families.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
After a large fire spread from tents to a shuttered theatre on the city’s Downtown Eastside, Vancouver’s fire chief told reporters she was “incredibly frustrated” that more isn’t being done to prevent daily fires breaking out in the area.
Vancouver council will soon vote on a policy that could slow development in the Broadway Plan, one of the most significant long-term projects underway in the city.
