TORONTO, January 31, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Ontario Home Care Association (OHCA) welcomes Ontario's Action Plan for Health Care. Presented by Minister of Health & Long-Term Care Deb Matthews, yesterday at the Toronto Board of Trade, the Plan sets an ambitious goal of making Ontario "the healthiest place in North America". Underpinning the goal is a commitment to relentlessly working to ensuring quality and accountability in health care.
Home care is a key element of the Plan which calls for building the continuum of care in the community, so that there are more options for seniors to get the care they need, outside of hospitals and long-term care. Supporting the home care system will be a Seniors Strategy, three million more hours of Personal Support Worker care, improved access to house calls and telephone consultations from health care professionals and additional support for family caregivers who need time off work to care for loved ones who are ill.
Evidence has demonstrated the potential of home care as a cost effective and care effective strategy to support the frail and vulnerable in their homes and OHCA commends the Minister for taking the necessary steps to tip the balance to the community. As she said in the concluding remarks,
"The reality is that we can't afford to wait. We must be relentless in our pursuit to meet this challenge. Patients are counting on us."
OHCA commits to continuing to work collaboratively with Minister Matthews and all health system partners to provide the right mix of care in order to keep Ontarians safely and independently at home.
About the OHCA
The OHCA, the voice of home care in Ontario, is a membership association representing providers of quality home care services from across Ontario. OHCA members represent an estimated 25,000 staff collectively serving 300,000 Ontarians per year. OHCA works with families as integral partners in the delivery of home care services and estimates that 1.2 million Ontarians are impacted by members. OHCA is dedicated to promoting the growth and development of the home and community health care sector by helping to shape health care policy, supporting members to excel, and being a leading source of information on home and community care. OHCA members are accredited through Accreditation Canada, CARF, and/or registered with the International Standards Association (ISO).
