(© Can Stock Photo / akiyoko)(© Can Stock Photo / akiyoko)
Midwestern

Group voices concern about the lack of funding for home care

The Executive Director of Home Care Ontario says the home care sector is facing a funding crisis and they are trying to shine a light on the issue.

In fact that's what the new campaign is called, 'Shining the Light'.

Sue Vanderbent says home care has lost 3,000 nurses and countless more personal support workers since the pandemic began.

And she says while it's understandable that a lot of funding has gone to long term and acute care, most people are not aware of the challenges home care is facing.

“This new campaign, Shining the Light, is really designed to raise awareness about the critical role the sector plays because we give care to people in their homes and we are not seen, we're invisible to most of the people, except those who are receiving home care,” said Vanderbent.

Vanderbent says the home care sector treats more than one million Ontario residents every year and they're asking the government to provide $600 million so they can bring back some of the thousands of nurses they've lost to continue to provide the service.

“They're (nurses) leaving because they are not paid. There's other places to work in the health care system as a nurse where you get better money, government has under-funded this sector for years and we still haven't got any contract rate increase,” stressed Vanderbent.

She says government has under-funded their sector for years and they still haven't got any contract rate increase and in the last Provincial budget, home care wasn't even mentioned.

The campaign is anchored by an informative website, www.choosehomecare.ca, that is inviting people to nominate ‘Home Care Heroes’ who provided exceptional care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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