TORONTO, September 10, 2004 -- Pat Armstrong, a professor in the Department of Sociology at York University says yesterday’s announcement by the Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman is welcome news but says we need to wait and see about how this announcement will translate into action.
“I am pleased with the government’s announcement especially with respect to the review of the competitive bidding process in long-term care and the focus on reducing wait times and expanded access to both home and long-term care,” said Armstrong. “But I wonder how the views and experiences of the non-professional care providers – including immediate family members – will be included in these reforms. After all, they are the ones who provide most of the community care.”
Armstrong, who also holds a Canadian Health Services Research Foundation/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Health Services and Nursing Research, has sounded the alarm over creeping privatization, the erosion of universal health care and nursing shortages. As the Chair of a National Coordinating Group on Women and Health Care Reform, Armstrong is an authority on health care policy, especially as it affects women as workers and as patients.
“I remain concerned about the issue of fees for necessary care and about the delivery of services through for-profit companies or public/private partnerships,” adds Armstrong. “As the Minister said, “health care is a right”. In my view that also means we should not allow our public money to go to profit or allow people to profit from illness.”
Armstrong is currently co-investigating conditions in Ontario’s long-term care facilities, including issues around staffing shortages, quality of life for residents, facility standards and compliance and accountability. Her findings are expected later this fall.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of nearly 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.
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For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Ken Turriff, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100, ext. 22086 / kturriff@yorku.ca
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