AUPE calls for inquiry and transition of all care to public ownership
EDMONTON – The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) has missed an opportunity to advocate for better care for vulnerable Albertans in its quietly released report on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Front-line health-care workers are disappointed that the HQCA didn’t call for real reform of continuing care in its study, which was quietly posted onto the HQCA website without fanfare last week,” says Susan Slade, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents more than 90,000 workers, including more than 58,000 in health care.
“The one point on which we can all agree is with HQCA’s call for there to be more staff in supportive-living and long-term care homes,” she says. Only 21 per cent of those surveyed by the council said there were enough staff to care for residents.
“As welcome as more support staff would be, that alone is not enough to protect residents from the next pandemic. Far too many lives have been lost in continuing care to ignore the fact that we desperately need to change how we care for seniors and other long-term care patients.”
According to research complied by freelance journalist Nora Loreto, there have been 714 COVID-19 deaths in private facilities in Alberta, compared to 320 in public facilities.
“The UCP is continuing to make the mistakes that contributed to the tsunami of pandemic deaths,” says Slade. “It wants to continue to hand over care to private operators, many of whom are seeking to profit from caring for Albertans in need.”
She adds: “This model of care has created a system that exploits workers, mainly women and people of colour, by keeping wages, hours and benefits low. This system forces workers to take multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet, which has been a significant concern for health officials trying to stop the spread of the virus.”
In a submission to the Alberta government, AUPE has called for measures including:
- A public inquiry to investigate the outbreak of COVID-19 in continuing-care facilities, including an audit of how operators used pandemic funds;
- All existing private facilities to be transitioned to public ownership, which has been proven to provide better care;
- All new facilities to be built and operated by Alberta Health Services (AHS);
- Increased hours of care for each resident;
- More full-time jobs; and
- A ban of hospitality fees for residents.
“The tragic deaths in continuing are proof that Alberta cannot continue down the same path. This is a matter of life and death,” says Slade. “Albertans want to see bold action, not a laissez-faire approach of just repeating policies that have already failed.”
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Susan Slade is available for comment.
For more information, please contact Terry Inigo-Jones, communications officer, 403-831-4394 or t.inigo-jones@upe.org.