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La lutte contre le racisme envers les Noirs a un impact sur la santé et, en tant qu’organismes de soins de santé, nous devons agir maintenant

Le racisme envers les Noirs est une crise de santé publique qui exige de l'action immédiatement

Date:

le Mardi 2 Juin 2020

Au cours de la dernière semaine — et des semaines, mois et années précédentes — l’Alliance pour des communautés en santés a vu l’impact du racisme historique et actuel, des iniquités, de la violence et de l’inaction sur nos organisations membres et les communautés qu’elles servent.

Le racisme envers les Noirs est une crise de santé publique qui se manifeste sous de nombreuses formes différentes, y compris la violence policière en Ontario et dans le monde. Les personnes Noires se voient systématiquement refuser l’accès aux services de santé qui sont un droit humain fondamental. Les enfants noirs reçoivent des niveaux inférieurs de gestion de la douleur que les enfants blancs. Les femmes noires reçoivent un dépistage du cancer du col utérin à des taux inférieurs à ceux de tout autre groupe de population. Les personnes souffrant d’anémie falciforme sont traitées comme des demandeurs de drogue. Les personnes vivant avec des problèmes de santé mentale se voient refuser ou se voient proposer des soins de santé culturellement dangereux, ce qui entraîne une augmentation des taux de suicide et de souffrance.

En même temps, les communautés noires portent le fardeau disproportionné du racisme et de la discrimination sur le marché du logement et du travail, ce qui les expose à un risque plus élevé de maladies transmissibles comme COVID-19 - au travail en tant que préposés aux services de soutien à la personne et autres travailleurs des services essentiels, et à la maison dans des conditions de vie proches ou dangereuses - et des maladies chroniques comme le diabète, l’hypertension et les conditions de santé mentale causées par des conditions de vie inéquitables et le stress quotidien de vivre dans les conditions macro et micro du racisme structurel, systémique et individuel.

Dans la vie et la mort du travailleur de soutien personnel noir Leonard Rodriques, qui est décédé de COVID-19 après avoir été à plusieurs reprises détourné d’équipement de protection individuelle et des soins de santé, nous témoignons un exemple de l’intersection en temps réel des déterminants de la santé et des services de santé pour les Noirs de cette province.

Les forces des communautés Noires — entre autres, dans le soutien mutuel, l’organisation, ainsi que dans la création et le maintien de soins de santé et de services sociaux dirigés par la communauté — sont ce qui leur a permis de traverser crise après crise. Ces forces et la solidarité d’un immense leadership intersectionnel se manifestent également dans le moment présent. Les centres de santé communautaires dirigés par des Noirs au sein de l’Alliance offrent un leadership visionnaire, inébranlable et culturellement sûr en matière de soins de santé et de systèmes aux niveaux communautaire, provincial et national.

Le racisme, les iniquités et la déshumanisation sont profondément ancrés dans nos structures sociales, notre vie quotidienne, nos quartiers et nos organisations de santé. Cela affecte chaque personne dans notre province et dans le monde — les sociétés inégales ont de moins bons résultats de santé pour toutes les personnes que des sociétés plus égales. Le travail de lutte contre le racisme envers les Noirs est le travail de promouvoir la santé et le bien-être pour tous. Pour être des alliés, nous avons encore beaucoup à faire pour éliminer les barrières que les structures, les systèmes et nos propres actions mettent sur le chemin de ces forces.

À l’Alliance pour des communautés en santé, nous sommes en train de mettre à jour notre charte pour l’équité en santé pour nous assurer qu’elle énonce des orientations et des principes clairs dont nous serons tenus responsables, y compris une position ferme contre la suprématie blanche et le racisme envers les Noirs. Notre travail en cours consiste à veiller à ce que nous consacrions de façon appropriée le temps et les ressources de notre personnel au travail de la santé des Noires et au soutien du leadership Noirs dans des organismes interprofessionnels de soins de primaires partout en Ontario ; veiller à ce que notre conseil d’administration comprenne un leadership intersectionnel en matière d’équité en santé, y compris des administrateurs des communautés noires de l’Ontario ; travailler pour aider tous nos membres à collecter et utiliser de manière appropriée les données basées sur la race et sociodémographiques ; et plaider pour des politiques et des pratiques qui tiennent nos gouvernements et nos systèmes de santé responsables de l’équité en santé.

Ce n’est pas assez. En tant qu’organisation et en tant que réseau d’organisations engagées dans la lutte contre le racisme envers les Noires et contre l’oppression, nous, à l’Alliance, devons continuer à nous chercher en nous, en tant qu’individus et organisations, pour identifier, nommer et affronter directement notre propre silence et notre inaction. En solidarité avec le leadership de la santé des Noires à travers l’Alliance et avec les communautés noires de l’Ontario, du Canada et du monde, voici ce que nous nous engageons aujourd’hui à poursuivre notre discours sur l’antiracisme, l’équité en santé et le bien-être communautaire.

Nous nous engageons à :

soutenir la formation antiracisme et anti-oppression pour tous les conseils d’administration et le personnel de l’Alliance et des organisations membres.
Examiner tous les projets et initiatives existants, y compris les politiques de ressources humaines, les politiques du conseil d’administration et les procédures internes, pour assurer une concentration sur le racisme envers les Noirs qui soit à jour, explicite et redevable.
La transparence et responsabilité pour nos actions, y compris des mécanismes pour rendre compte régulièrement de nos progrès et aider les membres de l’Alliance à faire de même.
Collaborer avec le Comité pour la santé des Noirs pour explorer les possibilités de financement et de ressources pour la conception, la mise en œuvre et la modification d’initiatives sectorielles nouvelles et existantes qui font progresser la santé et le bien-être des Noirs en Ontario.
Soutenir les communautés Noires dans leur travail pour faire avancer le changement structurel et utiliser notre voix pour soutenir leurs appels à l’action pour un Ontario plus équitable, juste et inclusif.

Signé,

Adrianna Tetley, Directrice générale

Claudia den Boer, Président du Conseil d’administration

Anti-Black Racism impacts health and as healthcare organizations we must act now

Anti-Black racism is a public health crisis that demands action now

Date:

le Mardi 2 Juin 2020

Over the past week – and the weeks, months and years before this – we at the Alliance for Healthier Communities have seen the impact of historical and present-day racism, inequity, violence and inaction on our member organizations and the communities they serve.

Anti-Black racism is a public health crisis that manifests in many different forms, including police violence in Ontario and around the world. Black people are routinely denied access to the healthcare services that are a basic human right. Black children are given lower levels of pain management as white children. Black women receive cervical cancer screening at lower rates than any other population group. People suffering from sickle cell anemia are treated as drug seekers. People living with mental health conditions are turned away or offered culturally unsafe healthcare, leading to increased rates of suicide and suffering.

At the same time, Black communities bear the disproportionate burdens of racism and discrimination in housing and labour markets, placing them at higher risk of both communicable diseases like COVID-19 (at work as personal support workers and other essential service workers, and at home in close or unsafe living conditions), and chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and mental health conditions caused by inequitable living conditions and the daily stresses of living under the macro and micro conditions of structural, systemic and individual racism. In the life and death of Black Personal Support Worker Leonard Rodriques, who died from COVID-19 after being repeatedly turned away from personal protective equipment and healthcare, we witness one example of the real-time collision of the determinants of health and healthcare services for Black people in this province.

The strengths of Black communities – amongst other things, in mutual support, organizing, and creating and sustaining community-led health and social care – are what has seen them through crisis after crisis. These strengths and the solidarity of immense, intersectional leadership are being shown in the current moment, too. Black-led community health centres within the Alliance are providing visionary, steadfast and culturally safe healthcare and systems leadership at community, provincial and national levels.

Racism, inequity and dehumanization are deeply embedded in our social structures, daily lives, neighbourhoods and healthcare organizations. This affects every single person in our province and the world – unequal societies have worse health outcomes for all people than more equal ones. The work of confronting anti-Black racism is the work of advancing health and wellbeing for all. To be allies, we continue to have major work to do to remove the barriers that structures, systems and our own actions put in the way of these strengths.

At the Alliance for Healthier Communities, we are in the midst of updating our Health Equity Charter to ensure it sets out clear guidance and principles to which we will be held accountable, including a strong stand against white supremacy and anti-Black racism. Our work in progress includes working to ensure we are appropriately devoting staff time and resources to the work of Black Health and the support of Black Health leadership in comprehensive primary health care organizations throughout Ontario; ensuring our Board of Directors includes intersectional health equity leadership including directors from Ontario’s Black communities; working to support all our members to appropriately collect and use race-based and sociodemographic data; and advocating for policies and practices that hold our governments and health systems accountable for health equity.

This is not enough. As an organization and as a network of organizations committed to anti-racism and anti-oppression, we at the Alliance must continue to search ourselves, as individuals and organizations, to identify, name and directly confront our own silence and inaction. In solidarity with Black Health leadership across the Alliance, and with Black communities across Ontario, Canada and the world, here is what we commit to today to further walk our talk on anti-racism, health equity and community wellbeing.

We commit to:

Supporting anti-racism and anti-oppression training for all member boards and staff at the Alliance and in member organizations.
Reviewing all existing projects and initiatives, including human resources policies, Board policies and internal procedures, to ensure an up-to-date, explicit and accountable focus on anti-Black racism
Transparency and accountability for our actions that includes mechanisms for regularly reporting our progress and supporting Alliance members to do the same
Collaborating with the Black Health Committee to explore opportunities for funding and resourcing the design, implementation, and modifying of new and existing sector-wide initiatives that advance Black health and wellbeing in Ontario
Standing with Black communities in their work to advance structural change and using our voice to support their calls to action for a more equitable, just and inclusive Ontario

Signed,

Adrianna Tetley, CEO

Claudia den Boer, Board Chair

Statement from Black health leaders: Anti-Black Racism is a Public Health Crisis

Date:

le Lundi 1 Juin 2020

Our communities are grieving.

This moment is unprecedented, yet in many ways, we have been here before.

Black people have long talked about disproportionate violence our people face as a result of policing. We have followed closely the horrendous killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, and more recently the death of Regis Korchinski- Paquet in the presence of police officers in Toronto. Regis joins a long list of Black people who have died in police presence, after wellness calls were made for help. We have not forgotten what happened to D’Andre Campbell in Brampton, Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa and Andrew Loku in Toronto. Thousands have been spent on inquests, recommendations have been made, and yet still, Black people seeking help face harm. We cannot be silent in the face of the ongoing horror Black people are experiencing in Ontario, across Canada and in the United States. We stand in solidarity with Black people everywhere in calling for justice.

In 2018, the Canadian Public Health Association released a position statement acknowledging that racism is a public health issue. Ontario, like other provinces and territories in Canada, is a place that struggles to contend with the harms of white supremacy and where legacies of colonization, slavery, structural inequality and systemic discrimination deeply impact the lives of Black people.

We cannot separate these legacies from the ongoing deaths of Black people due to policing. A 2018 Ontario Human Rights Commission study found that Black people are 20 times more likely to be injured or killed by police than their counterparts. Overall, Black people are more likely to face lethal force. We will not be silent as Black people are killed or die in the presence of the police due to unchallenged police brutality. We refuse to separate these fatal outcomes from the overwhelming climate of anti-Black racism in which Black people are forced to live.

We urge our allies to make commitments to addressing the many iterations of white supremacy and anti-Black racism by standing in solidarity with Black people, committing to interrupting cycles of violence and refusing to make this an issue only Black people care about. This is everyone’s business.

We stand with Black people everywhere in calling for faster action to meaningfully confront white supremacy and address anti-Black racism through:

Declaration of anti-Black racism as a public health crisis.
Enhanced accountability infrastructure to address police brutality, police violence and harms to Black communities.
A strengthened Anti-Racism Directorate with a clearly articulated, targeted and systemic anti-Black racism strategy.
A provincial commitment to the allocation of protected funds to provide culturally appropriate health and wellbeing support within Black communities. A critical component of undoing anti-Black racism is working towards making Black life livable. Culturally appropriate organizations must be given the support they need to continue providing these services.

Too many lives have already been lost, much is at stake and our people cannot wait.

In Solidarity

Black Health Committee (Angela Roberston, Cheryl Prescod, Denise Brooks, Florence Ngenzebuhoro, Francis Garwe, Keddone Dias, Liben Gebremikael, Lori-Ann Green Walker, Paulos Gebreyesus, Safia Ahmed, Simone Atungo, Suzanne Obiorah, Sané Dube)
Black Health Alliance
Network for Advancement of Black Communities (NABC)

Enhanced discharge planning during COVID-19 crisis

Date:

le Vendredi 29 Mai 2020

Dear Solicitor General,

We write to express concerns about limited access to healthcare for people who are currently incarcerated, have recently been released from correctional facilities, or are otherwise involved with justice.

Canada is a signatory to United Nations declarations committing to the provision of adequate health services for imprisoned people, without discrimination. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare access for people held in correctional facilities and those recently discharged has not been equitable to mainstream populations. On the contrary, health risks to these vulnerable populations have been elevated. We urge the ministry to close these gaps to care.

Community led healthcare organizations provide primary care to people involved with justice across the province. Our organizations are acutely aware that incarcerated people are at elevated risk of harms linked to COVID-19 due to overcrowded conditions in correctional facilities that make close contact inevitable. Incarcerated people do not have “on demand” access to prevention resources in the same way that mainstream populations do. These factors increase susceptibility to COVID-19. In light of these contextual factors, community led health organizations have welcomed recent actions to accelerate release for eligible individuals. For the safety of these populations and the wider population of Ontario, a core component of this COVID-19 response must be to provide adequate supports and comprehensive healthcare for recently released individuals.

Our organizations are concerned about inadequate discharge planning protocols currently in place. Despite the elevated risk to COVID-19 exposure, the province has not released a strategy for corrections and incarcerated populations under the COVID-19 Action plan for vulnerable populations. Reports indicate that over 1000 people have been released from correctional facilities in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. Recently released people are susceptible to poor health outcomes. Without tailored interventions, many remain disconnected from primary healthcare and disconnected from vital social service supports. Evidence shows that many people leaving correctional facilities in Ontario are at higher risk of poverty, homelessness and poor health. COVID-19 exacerbates these concerns. The lack of clear transition plans and comprehensive discharge strategies puts vulnerable people at risk. These outcomes are entirely preventable.

We can help. Our sectors have the expertise and the capacity to eliminate these gaps. Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Aboriginal Health Access Centres (AHACs) have made a list of primary healthcare facilities in close proximity to correctional facilities available to the Solicitor General’s office. These healthcare facilities are prepared to establish formal linkages with facilities in close proximity. Social service organizations, (convening as the Correctional Reform Coalition), have offered the province support in developing robust and nimble discharge plans that decrease social isolation and vulnerability for individuals leaving corrections. We urge the province to invite stakeholders from these sectors to the table to develop comprehensive discharge protocols.

The province can act swiftly to support these populations by:

Developing linkages to healthcare through community led primary healthcare organizations. CHCs and AHACs are well positioned to support recently released populations. They already support communities experiencing high levels of marginalization and are well suited to respond to the complex needs of individuals recently discharged from corrections.
Developing pandemic discharge strategies in collaboration with social services organizations. The province must include sector leaders in the development of guidelines, case management protocols and discharge policies that will ensure linkages to social services.
Mandating pandemic discharge protocols for remanded populations that match protocols used in discharge planning for the release of individuals who have been sentenced. The presence of protocols for one group which are not required for the other creates inequities in care.
Releasing data on the proportion of sentenced and remanded individuals released to inform sector discharge planning. We urge the province to report transparently about COVID-19 to effectively address this crisis.
Formalizing links to community and social service organizations supporting discharged individuals.
Expanding temporary hold on identification document renewal for recently discharged populations during COVID-19 and eliminate requirements for valid I.D to access health and social services.
Addressing factors contributing to mass staff walkouts in facilities by prioritizing access to PPE and hazard pay to these essential workers. The province must ensure that facilities remain well-staffed and able to provide comprehensive care.

This is an exceptional crisis requiring responses that surpass the ordinary. Our sectors are prepared to support the province in developing supportive programs for marginalized population groups.

Adrianna Tetley, CEO, Alliance for Healthier Communities

Félicitations au CSC Chigamik CHC et à ses partenaires pour un nouvel édifice dédiée au partage des connaissances et à la collaboration pour des soins centrés sur le client

le Jeudi 28 Mai 2020

[Carol Lambie, présidente et chef de la direction du Centre de soins de santé mentale Waypoint, et David Jeffery, directeur exécutif du Centre de santé communautaire Chigamik, se tiennent devant le nouveau centre de santé communautaire de Midland].

Le Centre de santé communautaire Chigamik Community Health Centre (CSC Chigamik CHC), et le programme de santé mental pour patients externes et le Centre HERO du Centre de soins de santé mentale Waypoint (Waypoint) (hébergement, emploi, réadaptation et Our Place – programmes du club social) sont heureux d’annoncer qu’ils déménageront dans le nouveau Carrefour santé communautaire de Midland, situé au 287, promenade Bayshore, au centre-ville de Midland. Le déménagement aura lieu la semaine du 25 mai 2020 et l’édifice ouvrira officiellement les portes le lundi 1er juin 2020. Quoique la prestation de la plupart des programmes et des services offerts par les deux organismes se fasse par voie virtuelle pendant le déménagement, ils fixent toujours les rendez-vous en personne au besoin.

« Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer que l’édifice du nouveau Carrefour santé communautaire de Midland est maintenant achevé. Le nouveau bâtiment rassemblera beaucoup de services de soins de santé dans la communauté sous un seul toit, y compris les soins primaires et les soutiens en santé mentale, les programmes pour les jeunes, la guérison traditionnelle et les services sans rendez-vous. Ceci permettra une croissance accrue en collaboration et offre aux clients et aux résidents un meilleur accès aux soins de qualité axés sur le client, » a dit David Jeffery, directeur général, CSC Chigamik CHC.

Les installations mesurant 40 000 pieds carrés représentent un projet de collaboration qui hébergera le CSC Chigamik CHC et les programmes communautaires et pour patients externes de Waypoint ainsi que certains aspects communs tels l’aire de réception, les salles de réunion, une cuisine communautaire et des installations pour la physiothérapie. Plusieurs salles ont été désignées pour la « cérémonie de la boucane » afin de desservir la communauté autochtone. Tous les services et programmes de chacun des organismes demeurent inchangés.

« Nous sommes très enthousiastes de converger avec le CSC Chigamik CHC dans nos nouveaux locaux physiques, » a dit Carol Lambie, présidente-directrice générale du Centre de soins de santé mentale Waypoint.

« Waypoint et Chigamik ont conçu des plans visionnaires pour le regroupement des services en un seul endroit et ainsi améliorer l’accès des clients et de leurs familles, plans qui s’harmonisent avec l’engagement du gouvernement en matière d’intégration des systèmes de prestation des soins. »

Parmi les autres organismes communautaires qui partageront également l’espace : Carrefour bien-être pour les jeunes de Simcoe Nord, Conseil des patients, des clients et des familles, Clinique d’accès rapide pour le traitement de la toxicomanie (ARTT/RAAM) (assurée par le Centre régional de santé Royal Victoria), Clinique de santé mentale sans rendez-vous (assurée par Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County), sages-femmes Midland Midwives By the Bay, et plus.

« Ce nouveau Carrefour santé communautaire est le résultat de partenariats solides qui ont été cultivés au cours de la dernière décennie » affirment Betty Valentine, membre du conseil d’administration de Waypoint et Tammy Stadt, membre du conseil d’administration du CHC Chigamik CSC, co-présidentes du Comité immobilier. « C’est un endroit où nos équipes travailleront en collaboration, partageront des connaissances et fourniront des soins intégrés aux résidents, et où tout le monde se sent apprécié et trouve un sens d’appartenance. »

Pour garantir la sécurité de tout le personnel, des clients et des membres de la communauté pendant la pandémie de la COVID-19, tous les organismes qui aménageront dans le Carrefour santé communautaire ont pris des mesures de santé et de sécurité supplémentaires. Suivant les conseils de la santé publique, l’éloignement physique demeure en vigueur et la circulation des personnes dans le nouveau bâtiment sera limitée. Les rendez-vous pour les consultations en personne sont fixés au besoin.

Le CSC Chigamik CHC et Waypoint tiennent à remercier le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée de l’Ontario, le comté de Simcoe, la ville de Midland, le cabinet Lett Architects et tous les partenaires communautaires du travail de collaboration exécuté pour appuyer le développement d’un nouveau Carrefour santé communautaire de Midland.

Congratulations to CSC Chigamik CHC and its partners on a new home dedicated to sharing knowledge and collaboration for client-centred care

le Jeudi 28 Mai 2020

[Carol Lambie, President and CEO of Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care and David Jeffery, Executive Director of Chigamik Community Health Centre, stand in front of the new Community Health Hub in Midland].

A decade in the making, the Midland Communuity Health Hub is a result of deep partnerships and a drive to collaborate better across organizations to better serve clients.

Centre de santé communautaire Chigamik Community Health Centre (CSC Chigamik CHC) began its move to its new building in Midland Ontario this week, with doors set to open officially June 1. Of course, many programs continue to be offered virtually while COVID-19 response continues in the area, with steps taken to ensure safety of staff and clients when in-person services are needed.

Chigamik will share the new Midland Community Health Hub space with its partners Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care’s Outpatient Mental Health program and the HERO Centre (Housing, Employment, Rehabilitation and Our Place Social Club programs).

“Waypoint and Chigamik were visionary in planning for this co-location of services to improve access for our clients and their families which aligns with the government’s commitment to integrated care delivery systems,” said Carol Lambie, president and CEO of Waypoint.

The 40,000-square-foot facility is a collaborative project that will house CSC Chigamik CHC and Waypoint’s outpatient and community programs and a number of common elements such as a reception area, meeting rooms, a community kitchen and physiotherapy facilities. Several rooms are designated for “smudging” to serve the Indigenous community. All services and programs from each organization will remain the same.

“We’re very excited to announce that the new Midland Community Health Hub building is complete," said David Jeffery, executive director of CSC Chigamik CHC. "This new building will consolidate many healthcare services in our community under one roof including primary care and mental health supports, youth programming, traditional healing and walk-in services. This will allow for more collaborative growth and provide our clients and residents with more access to quality, client-centered care.”

Other community organizations who will share the space include the North Simcoe Youth Wellness Hub, the Patient, Client and Family Council, the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic (facilitated by the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre), the Mental Health Walk-In Clinic (facilitated by the Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County), the Midland Midwives By the Bay and more.

"This new Community Health Hub is the result of deep partnerships that have been fostered over the last decade,” says Betty Valentine, Waypoint Board Member and Tammy Stadt, CHC Chigamik CSC Board Member and Property Committee Co-Chairs. “This is a place where our teams will work together, share knowledge, and provide integrated care to our residents, and where everyone will feel like they are valued and belong.”

Ontario Needs a Proactive COVID-19 Strategy that Includes Sentinel Testing

Date:

le Jeudi 21 Mai 2020

(Image created by Russell Tate)

We are writing to express our concern over reopening Ontario’s economy before public health protections are more fully established. Public health experts have sounded the alarm, stating that reopening the economy with only limited testing – rather than proactive sentinel testing of asymptomatic at-risk populations – is an unnecessary risk that could set Ontario back in its recovery efforts. They recognize that we can’t be sure of whether Ontario is ready to reopen, because the province is neither testing widely enough among key vulnerable populations nor transparently releasing comprehensive population status data to the public.

We’ve known for months that COVID-19 patients may be asymptomatic. Failure to conduct proactive sentinel testing of asymptomatic essential workers and vulnerable populations could be putting these communities – and the broader population – at high risk. Media reports show at-risk essential workers, from personal support workers to taxi drivers, dying preventable deaths from a lack of COVID-19 protections and testing. At the same time, outbreaks have been reported in congregate settings from mental health facilities and shelters, to group homes and farm worker housing. Three weeks after the announcement of a 'COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People' there is still no plan for sentinel testing, no public reporting of outbreaks and cases for these populations, and no guidance for health and social service providers working in congregate settings or with vulnerable at-risk populations.

We are heartened to hear that testing for symptomatic individuals – promised three weeks ago and overdue even then – will now be expanded to “vulnerable populations, including those in retirement homes and other shared living spaces like shelters and group homes”. But we remain concerned that this reactive strategy will not prevent the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19.

The province will only have a complete picture of the pandemic’s impact by systematically and proactively testing all people living in group settings and the workers in those and other high risk settings.

We urge the province to act now to protect communities who continue to be deeply impacted by this pandemic.

Pour la version française de cette lettre, appuyer ici.

Signed by 35 organizations and 210 individuals.

Addictions & Mental Health Ontario
AdvantAge ontario
Algoma Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic
Alliance for Healthier Communities
Brain injury Association Peterborough Region
Bridges Community Health Centre
Brock Mission
CHC of Northumberland
Citizens Alive
Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre
East End CHC
Flemingdon Health Centre
Grand Bend Area CHC
Hesperus Fellowship Community of Ontario
Lanark community programs
LKGroup Inc
London InterCommunity Health Centre
Noojmowin-teg health centre
NPAO
Ottawa Senior Pride Network
Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic
Quest Community Health Centre
Regent Park CHC
Seaway Valley Community Health Centre
South East Ottawa Community Health Centre
Stonegate Community Health Centre
The Healing Collective
Toronto Board of Health
United Jewish People's Order
Vibrant Healthcare Alliance
WellFort Community Health Services
Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre
Windsor Essex Community Health Centre
Women's Health in Women's Hands CHC
Woolwich Community Health Centre

Letter to Deputy Minister Menard regarding supporting vulnerable populations in Ontario

Date:

le Vendredi 15 Mai 2020

Dear Hon. Deputy Minister Menard,

It has been two weeks since Ontario announced the COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People. Community health organizations welcomed a targeted intervention to protect people living in high-risk settings. In the weeks since this announcement, we have yet to receive any further guidance or updates about what concrete steps the province will take to address outbreaks and risks to the health of people living in and working in congregate settings such as shelters, correctional facilities and other group living settings.

Community health centres provide essential health and social services to Ontario’s most marginalized populations, but the community health providers we represent are being forced to act in the dark when it comes to COVID-19. That means they’re cobbling together information about outbreaks in their communities through media reports and local relationships, rather than through guidance from official public reporting about outbreaks in congregate settings outside of Long-Term Care and retirement homes.

We are concerned about the failure of the province to report and act on outbreaks among other vulnerable populations. This includes outbreaks happening right now in correctional facilities, immigration detention centres, shelters for people experiencing homelessness, group homes, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, children's residential settings, migrant worker camps, and those residential settings supporting vulnerable Indigenous individuals and families both on and off reserve.

Robust data collection, transparent reporting, and accessibility of data are key components of emergency preparedness and response. To understand a pandemic’s evolution and impact we must know who it affects, how it affects them, and which factors increase vulnerability, so providers and staff can work with people to reduce them.

Two tales of COVID-19 are currently unfolding in Ontario. While some communities are reporting reductions in transmission and fatal outcomes from the virus, other vulnerable populations are experiencing increasing outbreaks. If the government continues to delay follow-up strategies and plans to protect vulnerable populations outside long term care facilities, key populations will be put at increased risk.

We write to urgently request a meeting with you, Deputy Minister, to address two key questions and to offer our most urgent support in meeting the needs of vulnerable populations:

When will the Ministry release disaggregated data about outbreaks in non-LTC/RH congregate settings?
When will the Ministry release further documentation and guidance about its Action Plan for Vulnerable Populations?

As front facing community-based organizations working with these marginalized populations, we have a long history of trust with the people we serve, and finding ways to meet community needs as they arise – from the opioid crises to refugee health to our COVID-19 responses. We have much to offer in terms of ideas and expertise, and we look forward to supporting you in delivering the Ontario Action Plan for Vulnerable People as soon as possible.

We look forward to meeting with you to discuss these issues.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kate Mulligan, Acting CEO, Alliance for Healthier Communities

Protection des préposés aux services de soutien à la personne contre la COVID-19

Les agents de santé communautaires de première ligne ont besoin d'équipements de protection pour faire leur travail pendant la COVID-19.

Date:

le Vendredi 15 Mai 2020

Madame la ministre,

Nous vous écrivons pour vous faire part de nos inquiétudes relatives aux décès de préposés aux services de soutien à la personne (PSSP) causés par la COVID-19. Le 6 mai dernier, M. Leonard Rodriquez est devenu le cinquième PSSP à mourir de la COVID-19 en Ontario. Des membres de la famille de M. Rodriquez ont déclaré à des journalistes que quelques jours avant d’arrêter de travailler, il a dû s’acheter des masques dans un magasin « tout à un dollar » puisqu’il était incapable de toujours avoir accès à de l’ÉPI au travail.

Nous sommes très préoccupés par ces récits faisant état d’un accès inadéquat à de l’ÉPI pour les travailleurs essentiels de première ligne. Nos membres rapportent toujours des difficultés à se procurer de l’ÉPI de leur chaîne d’approvisionnement ainsi que des instances provinciales et régionales chargées d’en faire l’allocation.

Les PSSP jouent un rôle essentiel dans les efforts de l’Ontario pour lutter contre la COVID-19. Ils offrent des services de première ligne à de nombreux points d’accès au sein du système, y compris les hôpitaux, les établissements de soins de longue durée, les résidences pour personnes âgées, les établissements résidentiels communautaires, les soins à domicile, et les résidences privées. Leurs tâches sont diversifiées : soins personnels, soins palliatifs, soutien à la réadaptation, aide à la mobilité, aide à l’administration de médicaments, soutien émotionnel et compagnie, répit et soutien pour les aidants, mise en œuvre des plans de soins des clients, aide à l’autonomie, etc. Les PSSP appuient le système de soins de santé canadien qui est déjà débordé afin de libérer les médecins et le personnel infirmier pour qu’ils puissent s’occuper des problèmes nécessitant des soins aigus.

Le nombre disproportionné de PSSP parmi les travailleurs de la santé qui sont décédés à ce jour ne fait que souligner que les efforts déployés pour protéger ces travailleurs essentiels et réduire leur exposition aux risques sont insuffisants. Cela est source de crainte et d’anxiété pour ces travailleurs quant à leur sécurité et celle de leur famille. Sans des travailleurs dévoués, notre système de santé s’écroulerait. Les PSSP sont des membres essentiels de l’effectif des soins de santé. Ils prennent soin des personnes les plus vulnérables dans nos communautés; pourtant, ils ne reçoivent pas le soutien nécessaire pour effectuer leur travail.

Nous sommes préoccupés que la province ne rapporte pas les décès des travailleurs de la santé en poste à l’extérieur des hôpitaux et des établissements de soins de longue durée. Nous sommes heureux des récentes mesures prises par la province pour rapporter le nombre de travailleurs de la santé dont le test de dépistage pour le virus est positif; nous exhortons la province à également rendre compte de manière transparente des décès de travailleurs de la santé.

De plus, les conditions de travail des PSSP nous inquiètent. Les salaires peu élevés dans l’ensemble du secteur demeurent un problème. Nombreux sont les PSSP qui doivent travailler à plus d’un endroit pour gagner un salaire décent et subvenir à leurs besoins. Des inégalités salariales sont aussi relevées selon l’emploi occupé dans le secteur de la santé; les PSSP qui travaillent dans les hôpitaux ont un salaire plus élevé et un meilleur programme de rémunération que ceux qui œuvrent dans des milieux communautaires. Au cours de la pandémie de la COVID-19, nous constatons un manque de cohérence dans les décisions prises en matière de financement et de soutien par le ministère des Services à l’enfance et des Services sociaux et communautaires (MSESSC), le ministère de la Santé et le ministère des Soins de longue durée (MSLD). Par exemple, des fonds spéciaux sont réservés aux fournisseurs du MSESSC qui aident les adultes ayant une déficience intellectuelle. Les organismes qui reçoivent ce financement ont reçu l’autorisation de faire preuve de créativité avec leurs excédents de fin d’année, leur permettant ainsi de donner des primes de risque et des bonus de pandémie. Le fonds de réserve d’urgence du MSLD pour le secteur des SLD visant à financer les coûts liés au décret d’urgence obligeant le personnel à ne travailler que dans un établissement pourrait être utilisé pour augmenter la rémunération du personnel à équivalent temps partiel au niveau de celle du personnel équivalent temps plein; de plus, le financement accordé par le ministère de la Santé aux fournisseurs de services de santé mentale et de toxicomanie pourrait être utilisé pour des primes de risque. La standardisation des pratiques des organismes de financement doit être une priorité.

Les projections provinciales laissent croire que la COVID-19 demeurera une préoccupation pour encore plusieurs mois. Étant donné ce contexte, un soutien global doit être apporté aux PSSP. La province doit prendre des mesures dès maintenant pour assurer que les PSSP aient l’ÉPI dont ils ont besoin et pour normaliser les salaires dans l’ensemble du secteur afin de réduire la précarité et les risques pour les travailleurs. Nous avons pu constater au cours des derniers mois que les PSSP sont exposés à un risque accru et qu’ils sont laissés pour compte. Des mesures urgentes doivent être prises pour remédier à cette iniquité dont ils sont victimes.

Dre Kate Mulligan, Directrice générale par intérim, Alliance pour des communautés en santé

Deborah Simon, Directrice générale, Association ontarienne de soutien communautaire

Protecting Personal Support Workers in COVID-19

Front-facing community health workers need protective equipment to do their jobs during COVID-19

Date:

le Vendredi 15 Mai 2020

Dear Minister Elliott,

We write to express concern about the deaths of personal support workers related to COVID-19. On May 6th, Mr. Leonard Rodriquez became the fifth personal support worker to die of COVID-19 in Ontario. Mr. Rodriquez’s family told reporters that in the final days before he stopped working he was forced to buy masks at the dollar store, as he was unable to access adequate PPE consistently on the job.

We are deeply concerned about reports of inadequate PPE for essential workers in front facing roles. Our members continue to report difficulties in accessing PPE from their own supply chains as well as through the regional/provincial tables tasked with allocations.

PSWs play a vital role in Ontario's COVID-19 response. They provide front-line services at numerous points of access within the system, including hospitals, Long Term Care facilities, retirement homes, community residential settings, homecare, and private residences. The range of services provided include personal care, palliative care, rehabilitation support, mobility assistance, medication assistance, emotional support and companionship, providing relief and support for caregivers, implementing client’s care plans, facilitating independent living and so much more. PSWs support an already overburdened Canadian healthcare system to free up vital physician and nursing resources to address more acute care related issues.

The disproportionate representation of PSWs among healthcare workers who have died to date makes it clear that too little is being done to support these essential workers and reduce their risk of exposure to hazards. This is causing fear and anxiety for this workforce around their own safety and that of their families. Without dedicated healthcare workers, our health system will crumble. PSWs are key members of this healthcare work force. They care for the most vulnerable in our communities, and yet they are not adequately supported while doing their work.

We are concerned that the province is not reporting about the deaths of healthcare workers stationed in sectors outside hospitals and LTC facilities. We welcome recent steps the province has taken to share data on the number of number of healthcare workers testing positive for the virus; we urge the province to also transparently report on healthcare worker deaths.

Additionally, we are concerned about working conditions for PSWs. Low wages across the sector have been an ongoing concern. To earn a living wage and support themselves many PSWs work in multiple locations. Additionally, there are salary inequities among PSW roles across the healthcare system; PSWs working in hospital environments receive higher pay and better compensation packages compared to PSWs working in community environments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lack of consistency in the funding and support decisions being made by MCCSS, MOH and MLTC. For example, there is a special funding setup for MCCSS providers that support adults with developmental disabilities. Organizations under this funding umbrella received permission to use year-end surpluses creatively which resulted in ‘danger’ pay and pandemic bonuses. The MLTC emergency reserve fund to the LTC sector to support emergency orders to limit staff to one employer could be used to top up PTE staff to FTE compensation; meanwhile, the funding the MOH provided to MH&A providers could be used for ‘danger’ pay. To do their work well, all PSWs must be appropriately supported. Standardization across all funding organizations must be prioritized.

Provincial projections suggest that COVID-19 will be an ongoing concern for several months. Given this context- comprehensive supports are needed for PSWs. The province must act now to ensure that PSWs have adequate PPE and that there is wage standardization across the sector to reduce precarity and risk for workers.

The last few months have made it clear that PSWs are at increased risk and they are being left behind. Urgent interventions are needed to address this disproportionate impact.

Dr. Kate Mulligan, Acting CEO, Alliance for Healthier Communities

Deborah Simon, CEO, Ontario Community Support Association