Age_Friendly Communities - Update One

This is the first of a series of UPDATES that we will publish regularly to keep our partners abreast of the latest developments in the movement to make Ontario age‐friendly. Click HERE

Ontario expands Aging at Home program

Ontario is expanding its successful Aging at Home program and community care initiatives to reduce pressure on Ontario’s emergency rooms. Another $187 million is being invested in the Aging at Home program that funds initiatives at the local level to allow seniors to live independently at home. There is $60 million for increased home care, personal support and homemaking services provided by Community Care Access Centres, and $22 million for Ontario’s 14 Local Health Integration Networks to invest in local solutions for alternate level of care patients who are taking up hospital beds while waiting for a placement in community care. There is also $3.5 million for nurse-led outreach teams to provide more care to patients in long-term care homes and help them avoid transfers to hospital ERs. (News release at www.health.gov.on.ca)

Long-Term Care Homes Act Regulation Project

Attached a letter from Colleen Sonnenberg, Manager, Long-Term Care Homes Act Regulation Project, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care relating to Part 1 Proposed Initial Draft Regulations under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007.

Ontario Heath Related News

Ontario broadening scope of practice of health professionals

Ontario has introduced legislation expanding the scope of practice of a number of health professions to improve access to care.

For example, nurse practitioners will be allowed to conduct ultrasounds and set a fracture; physiotherapists will be allowed to treat a wound; midwives will be able to place tubes in the nose or mouth of a newborn; medical radiation technologists will be able to give needles; and, dietitians will be able to prick the skin to check a patient’s blood readings.

The move was generally applauded by health professional groups. However, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario said the government has not gone far enough to remove the “regulatory handcuffs” on nurse practitioners. It had been looking for NPs to be given the authority to admit and discharge patients in hospitals, and have broader prescribing powers to the ones they have now.

Bill 179 does give a number of professions expanded drug authority, but for NPs it only gives them the right to dispense, mix and sell certain drugs.

Pharmacists will be able to prescribe certain drugs to manage patient health and give certain substances through injection and inhalation to demonstrate their use or to educate patients.

The Ontario Medical Association is reviewing the legislation, cautioning that expediency should not be a substitute for patient safety. HE

E-prescribing starts in Ontario

Ontario has started Canada’s first e-prescribing program. This new tool is being developed by eHealth Ontario, the agency set up last September to guide the province’s e-health strategy which was subsequently released this March. Electronic prescribing is a key component of the Medication Management part of the strategy, and is expected to dramatically improve patient safety and quality of care by reducing prescription errors from illegible handwriting. Two sites are involved in a three-month demonstration project which started last month: the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie and Georgian Bay Family Health Team in Collingwood. Both are well advanced in the use of electronic medical records. (News release at www.ehealthontario.on.ca/media/news_releases.asp)

Ontario wait-time information system profiled

The success of Ontario’s Wait Time Information System is examined in a special issue of Healthcare Quarterly. An editorial by Ontario Hospital Association President and CEO Tom Closson says information technology good news stories rarely get recognized and, as a result, “The public and political leaders believe incorrectly that failure of government IT projects is almost inevitable.” The Wait Time Information System (WTIS) is a clear success. It was up-and-running in less than two years and, as of March 2009, is in use by 86 hospitals and tracking 2.2 million surgical procedures and MRI/CT scans. It is also being expanded to include more of the continuum of care such as wait times for alternate level of care patients. The special issue contains a number of articles with key lessons learned from the experience. It can be found at www.longwoods.com/product.php?productid=20744.

Hansard Highlights

In the Ontario legislature Wednesday, Health and Long-Term Care Minister David Caplan was grilled over the fact that the former Smart Systems for Health Agency spent at least $26 million on consultants’ fees over a five-year period. Mr. Caplan said e-health systems require “very highly technical” expertise and this investment pales next to the $50 billion the Obama administration is spending to implement an electronic health record for all Americans over the next five years.

On Monday, Mr. Caplan faced questions about a freeze on new registrations for family health teams. Mr. Caplan said the model is being reviewed, and he hopes to have the situation resolved “as quickly as possible.” The minister did not explain what the problem was but a ministry spokesperson told the Hamilton Spectator it had to do with “administrative back office issues with financial forecasting.” Progressive Conservative Health Critic Elizabeth Witmer said the freeze comes “at the most critical time of the year as medical school graduates decide where to practise.” She said they may choose to look elsewhere.

Military Police Fund for Blind Children 2nd Annual Golf Tournament

The 2nd Annual Military Police Fund for Blind Children Golf Tournament sponsored by 2 Military Police Unit, Detachment Kingston will be help at CFB Kingston Garrison Golf Course on Sept 11, 2009. Should you be interested in supporting this most worthy cause, you can download an entry form by clicking here.

VIA Rail Special Rates for Vets

VIA Rail is again offering a deal on rail travel to vets. For details Click HERE

PSHCP - Pay-Direct Drug Card

There have been a number of questions over the last couple of months about the long-announced PSHCP Drug Card. For all the latest details click HERE

History of Canadian Public Pensions

To all who are history lovers.

The Canadian Museum of civilization has posted the History of Canadian Public Pensions, which includes snapshots of different eras on the following subjects:

Researcher's Summary

Daily Life

Political Events

World Events

Influential People

What Canadians Received

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/pensions/cpp-sitelay_e.shtml

Ontario to create 25 Nurse Practitioner clinics

The Ontario government has announced that it is moving ahead with the funding of 25 Nurse Practitioner (NP)-led clinics. Three are being set up immediately, and the remainder will move forward in the spring. All will be in operation by 2011-12.

“Nurse practitioners bring unique and valuable skills and expertise to patient care teams across Ontario,” Premier Dalton McGuinty told a news conference last Friday.

However, the Ontario Medical Association remains opposed to the move. It says the government should instead be supporting the creation of an additional 150 Family Health Teams as promised in the election.

“At a time when financial resources are stretched thin and there is a shortage of nurses it would seem more appropriate to open additional collaborative care teams that we know are having a positive impact on patients,” OMA President Dr. Ken Arnold said in a news release.

The OMA maintains that Family Health Teams are more cost-effective since they have higher patient caseloads than NP clinics. Dr. Arnold said the government has the “responsibility to demonstrate to taxpayers that these clinics are delivering on the outcomes that patients expect.” He said the government has not done this.

Not surprisingly, the Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario holds the opposite view.

“There are tens of thousands of unattached patients in the province who do not have access to a primary health care provider,” NPAO President Tina Hurlock-Chorostecki said in a news release. “Nurse practitioners have demonstrated they provide safe, effective and quality health care to patients of all ages.” HE

New Healthcare Services for Ontarians

Ontarians can now find health care close to home with the click of a mouse.

For the first time, information about local health services is available in a single place: www.ontario.ca/healthcareoptions. Using this site, people can find the nearest walk-in and after-hours clinics, urgent care centres, family health teams, general practitioners and emergency rooms by typing in their postal codes.

The new service is being updated regularly, and will soon be expanded to offer information on all front-line health services in Ontario including Community Care Access Centres, laboratories and long-term care homes.

The government is also introducing Health Care Connect, a new program to help people find a family health care provider. Ontarians can call 1-800-445-1822 to register with the program, and those who need care most will be helped first.

Veterans Independence Program (VIP)

Did you know that if you are a veteran and you require assistance to maintain your independence, Veterans Affairs Canada may be able to help through a program called Veterans Independence Program (VIP). Check it out by clicking here

RRIF, Economic and Fiscal Statement

The Canada Revenue Agency posted information on its Web site on 9 Dec. announcing that it is the Government's intention to proceed with the RRIF proposal: (25% reduction of required minimum withdrawal amount for RRIFs for 2008).

For detail see: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/whtsnw/tms/rrf-fq-eng.html

New meeting place

Note that from January 15, 2009 the regular monthly meeting of your Board of Directors will be help at the Military Communications and Electronics Museum at CFB Kingston, 95 Craftsman Blvd, Highway 2, Kingston East. These meetings, held every third Thursday of the month, except for July, August and December, are open to all members of the Kingston and District Branch.
Click for a map.

Prorogation & the Economic and Fical Statement

According to the "House of Commons Procedure and Practice", edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit:

"All unfinished business is dropped from or “dies” on the Order Paper and all committees lose their power to transact business, providing a fresh start for the next session. No committee can sit during a prorogation. Bills which have not received Royal Assent before prorogation are “entirely terminated” and, in order to be proceeded with in the new session, must be reintroduced as if they had never existed."

Since Parliament was suspended (prorogation) until January 26, the announced 25% reduction of required minimum withdrawal amount for RRIFs for 2008 will not be adopted before the end of the year. However, this will not affect the “in-kind” asset transfers (sale of assets not required), which were already permitted under the income tax rules.

Economic and Fiscal Statement

Staff at FSNA National Office has reviewed the fall 2008 Economic and Fiscal Statement announced yesterday by Finance Minister Flaherty and has identified the following issues relevant to our members.

(The statement is posted on the department's site: http://www.fin.gc.ca/ec2008/pdf/EconomicStatement2008_Eng.pdf)

1. Pension Indexation

Mr. Flaherty's Economic and Fiscal Statement does not include any provisions that affect the previously announced pension indexing (2.5%) that will be applied effective 1 January 2009, nor is there anything in the statement that would change future indexation of superannuation payments to pensioners.

2. Reduction by 25% of required minimum withdrawal amount for RRIFs for 2008.

RRIF holders who withdraw more than the reduced 2008 minimum will be permitted to re-contribute the excess to their RRIFs until the later of March 1, 2009 and 30 days after this proposal is enacted. Re-contributions will be deductible for the 2008 taxation year.

3. Liquidation of RRIF assets in order to satisfy minimum withdrawal requirement

There is no obligation to liquidate assets in order to satisfy the RRIF minimum withdrawal requirement. The income tax rules permit "in-kind" asset transfers to meet the requirements – they do not require the sale of assets. The Government has asked all financial institutions to accommodate the in-kind distribution of assets from a RRIF, as permitted under the tax rules, at no cost to clients, or to offer another solution that achieves the same result.

(The Minister's letter to financial institutions is also posted on the department's site: http://www.fin.gc.ca/news08/08-093e.html)

Randonneurs Ontario

One of our members is looking for assistance for a very interesting and different project this coming Summer. Have a look here

Election 2008 - Post-Mortem

The FSNA grassroots advocacy machine was put into motion for the 2008 general federal election. And in every province FSNA volunteers responded – not in droves mind you – but they responded!

The strategy undertaken was to engage branches to connect with candidates from the Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Bloc and Green parties of Canada and dialogue about FSNA’s key issues. Support was provided by the national directors (NDs), provincial advocacy officers (PAOs) and the Health Care Research and Advocacy Officer at National Office.

So, how did we do?

Branches across Canada connected with most candidates in 101 electoral districts. Since there are 308 electoral districts, we managed a 32.8% success rate.

Most of the candidates we contacted were sent e-mails with FSNA’s key issues attached. A few FSNA members met face-to-face with the candidates and some members attended all candidates meetings and raised our issues in this forum.

Along with the responses received from the leaders of the Liberal, NDP and Green Parties of Canada (these are posted to www.fsna.com) as a result of a letter from Dennis Jackson to all party leaders, 22 candidates sent individual responses to our key issues.

The goal of our strategy was to raise awareness of FSNA and of the issues of most concern to our members and to build new or maintain existing relationships with key political officials. It is not enough to ask an elected official for support for an FSNA member-supported issue just when it is needed. Building and maintaining relationships over time will increase the likelihood of advocacy success in the future.

In this respect, branch presidents have been asked to follow-up with the elected candidates with a congratulatory letter offering our assistance in the future with respect to seniors issues locally. As FSNA speaks with one voice, any request for feedback should be shared with your ND and PAO to ensure consistent and appropriate messaging.

Overall, the process involved with the 2008 general federal election has highlighted areas for improvement but, more importantly, reinforced that taking full advantage of the knowledge, expertise, network capabilities, and time commitment of FSNA volunteers helps us achieve our goals.

Government Retiree Recruitment Campaign

The brochure and applications for campaign 2008/2009 were mailed to some 270,000 pensioners on Friday September 19, 2008. On Monday September 22, 2008,National Office started to receive enquiries from potential members and the volume has not slowed as of yet. It is still too early to say how many new members we will recruit but things do look promising.

Don’t forget that current members can get involved in this year’s campaign by participating in the member-get-a-member campaign. The fall edition of ON GUARD contains two recruitment cards that current members can give to their colleagues who have yet to join. Please help us increase our membership by handing out these cards and asking your colleagues to join today.

Pension Increase for 2009

The Treasury Board has announced that the increase in indexing to be applied to Public Service, Canadian Forces, and RCMP pensions in January 2009 will be 2.5 per cent.

Affinity programs update - Choice Hotels Canada

The Comfort Inn Kingston, Belleville, Trenton and Cobourg have recently implemented a discounted rate with our Comfort Inns and the local Military Family Resource Centres at CFB Kingston and Trenton. Rooms can be booked through the Kingston MFRC, the Trenton MFRC or directly on this link