July 13, 2005
Government’s plan more of the same private health agenda
Albertans have long rejected two-tier care for the privileged
With its “third way” announcement the Alberta government continues its same-old, decade-long push to turn health care into a profit centre for some investors.
“When the government says ‘choices’ it means that wealthy Albertans with private insurance can get a higher standard of care than others, and that’s not what Canadian medicare is all about,” says United Nurses of Alberta President, Heather Smith.
“With a $5 billion surplus, the government can’t claim health care is not affordable, so they pulled out their “choice card” – choice based on your bank account. Ralph Klein doesn’t want to accept that Albertans trump the elite choice card with equity and fairness for all,” she said.
The government announced it is going to decide what is medically necessary and what is not covered by public health care but is an enhanced service. People would have the “choice” to pay directly for enhanced services or to buy private insurance to cover them.
Lower quality care for the rest of us who can’t afford – or are refused – extra insurance would be the final result of today’s announcement. This is a direct route to two-tier medicine, with better care for the wealthy, who can afford to pay more, charges UNA.
“Why should I have a lower quality artificial hip, or more pain and a longer recovery time if I can’t get private insurance?” Heather Smith asks.
“This is a plan to bring more private insurance into the Alberta health system and it will end up costing all of us a great deal more,” she said.
Grande Prairie nurses possibly poisoned with tranquillizers
RCMP are conducting an investigation into apparent cases of poisoning of nursing staff in the 4 North surgery unit in the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie. Some nurses reported unsettling symptoms, disorientation, nausea and finally a urine test turned up tranquillizer drugs.
Jerry Macdonald, United Nurses of Alberta Grande Prairie president, said nurses are frightened by the situation.
“We’ve been involved in keeping track of what Peace Country Health has been doing to address it and we, to be honest, haven’t really (had) any issues. It’s a very difficult situation and trying to find the appropriate solution is challenging and we acknowledge that.”
The unit was closed in October 2004 after hospital staff reported non-specific flu-like symptoms over several months. Air quality tests did not turn up any problems and the unit reopened in December.
Police are investigating other bizarre incidents that might be connected to the drug exposures including pizza deliveries no one ordered, unexplained floral deliveries, and an incident where a patient’s hair was shaved and a note left by the bedside.
Grande Prairie RCMP have asked all staff on both 4 North and 4 South to complete “investigational questionnaires”.
The bizarre case has attracted national media attention and Jerry Macdonald has been kept very busy with requests for interviews.
Alberta signs on to national childcare deal
After publicly saying last February that they wouldn’t sign on, the Alberta government has finally relented and on July 7 announced they had reached a childcare deal with the federal government.
“Finally! Families and community advocates are celebrating today the signing of a federal-provincial early childhood education and childcare agreement”, said Bill Moore-Kilgannon, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta.
Public Interest Alberta has coordinated a broad-based public campaign for childcare including post cards that were distributed with the last UNA NewsBulletin.
“While we are happy they have signed the deal and that it is based on the principles of QUAD - Quality, Universally Inclusive, Accessible and Developmental - we are concerned about the political will to achieve an accessible and affordable quality childcare system,” Moore-Kilgannon said.
MLA panel on LTC forced to open up meetings
Late in June the Alberta government announced its three-person MLA committee hearings into standards in Long-Term care in the province. The committee announced it was immediately beginning closed door meetings with Health Regions and operators, but after facing some harsh criticism has now announced it is looking for public meetings. The MLAs have asked the Health and Wellness and Community Services Ministers for a mandate to hold public meetings and extend the original July 31 deadline.
Lakeside Packers in Brooks could be nearing strike
Negotiations for a first contract continue between the United Food and Commercial Workers meatpackers and Lakeside Packers in Brooks.
UNA is ready to lend support if the packing company refuses to bargain and forces a strike. At its June meeting the provincial Executive Board voted to provide support and help in busing picketers to the packing plant site.
UFCW says that the American company Tyson Foods does not appear ready to reach a settlement. The workers already have a mandate with a 70% vote in favour of a strike if necessary. A strike could come in August or even as early as late July.
More information on the situation at Canada’s largest meat packing plant is available on the website about Tyson Foods, www.terribletyson.com.
UNA reserves 10% of registrations to national meetings for youth delegates
At its June meeting, the Board adopted new policies on delegations to national affiliate meetings, like the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and the Canadian Labour Congress. The new policy will guarantee that 10% of the delegates will be youth delegates, under the age of 30.
Scheduling ABCs. Is your schedule compliant?
Developing a nurse staffing schedule that is compliant with the collective agreement takes a high degree of skill and experience. Up until now there has been no concise set of scheduling rules. The only guides to the rules are the provisions of the collective agreements themselves. But the UNA Board has asked that a special tool be created to assist with developing contract compliant schedules. The tool is to be ready by the time of the next provincial Annual General Meeting.
Nomination deadlines in advance of District meetings
The Executive Board has set new deadlines for nominations to District executive positions and for District representatives on the Negotiating committee. Nominations must be submitted seven days in advance of the district meeting where a District executive or NegCom election will be held.
Nominations from the floor will only be acceptable if there have been no nominations made in advance of the seven day deadline.
98% Vote to Keep Hospital Public in First Plebiscite to Stop P3 Hospitals
More than 12, 400 people voted in a citizen-called, community-wide vote held in St. Catharines, Ontario and area on Saturday, June 25. The Niagara & Ontario Health Coalitions called the plebiscite results a clear message rejecting private hospitals.
The question on the ballot was: “I support a new hospital for St. Catharines that is 100% publicly funded, owned, administered and operated. Keep our hospital public and non-profit.”
There were 12,442 people who voted in the volunteer-run referendum and 12,164 voted yes.
“This is real grassroots democracy at work. We are thrilled that over 12,000 people cared enough to cast their votes to keep our new hospital public,” said Sue Hotte, Niagara Health Coalition co chair.
“The residents of our community have sent a clear message to our elected politicians that we are supporting our new hospital, but we want a public not a privatized hospital.”
“This is the first plebiscite (community-wide vote) to stop the privatization of our hospitals, and we are overwhelmed by the response,” said Natalie Mehra coordinator of the Ontario Health Coalition. “With such a tremendous response, the government will not be able to break its election promise to keep our hospitals public.”
California Nurses keep pressure on Schwarzenegger, donors
Patient Health not Corporate Wealth
The California Nurses Association has launched www.StopArnold.us to help organize opposition to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s special election and let concerned consumers know which corporations are bankrolling Schwarzenegger. The campaign’s tagline is “Patient Health not Corporate Wealth,” which refers to the distorting influence of healthcare corporations on Schwarzenegger and this special election.
“The pharmaceutical industry alone has threatened to raise $100 million to support Schwarzenegger’s anti-patient and anti-nurse policies, so www.StopArnold.us focuses on them first. Consumers need to know that the money they spend on Pfizer’s Listerine or Johnson & Johnson’s Mylanta is being used against them,” said Deborah Burger, RN, President of the California Nurses Association.
On the Light Side
A woman has a problem with her closet door, it was falling every time a bus was passing by.
So she called a repairman. The repairman comes and sees that indeed, the door falls out every time when a bus passes by.
“OK, I am gonna see what is going on, just close the door behind me,” and he steps into the closet.
At just that time the husband comes from work, opens the closet and finds the repairman.
Husband: “What the hell are you doing here!”
Repairman: “Well, you are not going to believe it, but I am waiting for a bus!”
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