2011

Promoting access to quality, sustainable health care close to home

The Green Party believes in a sustainable, public health care system that provides every Ontarian with access to the quality health care they require, when and where they need it. We all have rst-hand experience with challenges in our current system, including long waits in emergency rooms, for specialists and tests, and for appropriate long-term care. Many of us also face the challenge of being unable to nd a family doctor. Adding to this is the growing sense of unease that health care spending is crowding out everything else the Ontario government must do, such as fund our educa on system, build and maintain roads and transit systems, and provide other community services. Currently, the health care budget is almost half of the provincial budget and if current trends con nue, it will eat up of the budget by . Like you, the Green Party has long been aware that our health system is facing unprecedented challenges. We are commi ed to ensuring that our public health care system not only works for today, but is sustainable for the next genera on. t s me to refocus the health care system on programs that will prevent illness in the rst place while improving access and quality. The me to start is now, while we can s ll a ect the outcome. y making front line health care more accessible, we can create e ciencies and be er manage costs. The good news is that there are solu ons for the way forward. The real issue is that these solu ons require poli cal leadership, commitment and thinking that extends beyond the four-year elec on cycle leadership the Green Party is commi ed to providing.

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1. Prioritizing health promotion and illness prevention

Governments of the twenty rst century cannot speak of improving health care without understanding and confron ng the lifestyle and environmental issues facing us today. We know that a penny invested in preven ng illness today saves a dollar tomorrow. We must recognize that keeping Ontarians healthy is part and parcel of crea ng a sustainable, aordable health care system. Policies that promote and reward healthy lifestyles are essenal to building a strong province. Ontario only spends $7 per person on health promo on and illness preven on. n comparison, ri sh olumbia spends $ bec spends $ 6 per person. t costs much less to keep people healthy than to treat illness. We need to refocus the system to concentrate on true health care, not just sick care. per person, and u -

We will:

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We will support the development of healthy, liveable, recreation-friendly communities.

Your Green MPPs will:

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We will ensure clean air, water and food.

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We will provide incentives for people to pursue healthy lifestyles and support school-based nutrition, outdoor education and athletic programs.
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Your Green MPPs will:

Invest $200 million over four years for a healthy school food program, and set purchasing targets for local sustainable food. Invest $200 million over four years for a good food program that invests in community food programs that promote access to healthy food, community gardens, coo ing and nutri on classes. Provide $200 million over four years in healthy living tax credits for children and adult recreaon programs.

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2. Reforming health care delivery to ensure all Ontarians have access to quality community health services

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We will re-prioritize funding to support doctors and other health professionals for family/community care clinics that are integrated with public health.
More than 730,000 Ontarians do not have a family doctor, and of those that do, almost nine in ten say they are ai n too lon for a ointments Of the eleven countries the overnment re ularly surveys for com arison uroses, Ontario is dead last in mely access to rimary care n mul -disci linary family care teams, all key rimary care health rofessionals ork to ether, on a 7 asis erts a ree that colla ora on ith other health rofessionals - harmacists, nurse rac oners, hysiotheraists, ultrasound technicians, home care orkers, die cians, and s ecialists, is an e ec ve ay for doctors to ork We also need to use each rofession's com etencies to the ma imum Ontario's re ula on of health care rofessions hasn't ke t ace ith the evolu on in the educa on and trainin of health care rofessionals, nor ith rac ces in other urisdic ons sin each of Ontario's more than 00,000 health care roviders' a ili es to the fullest ould create more ca acity and enhance access to health care andin each rofessions sco e of rac ce to match roven com etencies enales the same services to e delivered y the most cost e ec ve rovider, romotes a ent choice and hel to address ait lists and the hysician shorta e his ould rovide e er value for money in the health care system his ay, a ents et mely access to the ri ht treatment and dia nosis, hen they need it his hel s us stay healthy and heal faster, and im roves the sustaina ility and eciency of our health care system Your Green MPPs will:

nvest illion over four years in family and community care clinics and rac ces that team doctors ith nurses, die cians, sycholo ists, counsellors, hysiothera ists and others sta lish a ne 0 0 oal of rovidin 50% of Ontarians ith access to a family care teams y 0 , risin to 90% y

Amend rofession-s ecic acts of re ulated health care rofessions to allo mem ers of those rofessions to rac se to the full e tent of their demonstrated com etencies as veried y their res ec ve re ulatory odies Revam the current fee-for-service ay model Move to ards salaried and other fundin models (either alone or in com ina on that e and access, a ent-centred care and encoura e health romo on and innova on Remove all unnecessary restric ons on the re istra on of forei n-trained health care rac oners, hile at the same me ensurin that only those rac oners ith the re uisite com etencies to rac se safely and e ecvely in Ontario are ranted access Re ulate om lementary and Alterna ve rofessions ( AM to o er more a ent choice

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We will put communities back in charge of local health care decisions.

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Your Green MPPs will:

We will finally deliver on electronic health records by using best practises from other places.

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3. Honouring our seniors by improving the care available to Ontarios ageing population

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We will ensure that seniors receive a quality continuum of care coordinated by case managers.

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Assessment Act to exempt all not-for-prot homes from property taxes, whether they began as nursing homes or charitable homes.

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We will support all long-term care facilities to provide services in compliance with provincial standards.
A study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that Ontario's funding of long-term care homes falls behind other Canadian provinces and compared unfavourably with the State of Mississippi, the poorest state in the United States! Our seniors deserve be er Long-term care homes are funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care through a complex system Under the funding system, long-term care homes cannot transfer money from one area to another, regardless of need, and money unspent in any par cular envelope is reclaimed by the Ministry of Health at the end of the year This rigid system limits long-term care homes' ability to be innova ve or to respond to uni ue or changing circumstances and re uirements The very heavy, detailed and centralized "one-size-ts-all" regula on also inhibits the ability to respond to uni ue or changing circumstances and discourages innova on Green MPPs would reform the funding model for long-term care homes to increase exibility and to encourage innova on and e ciencies We would also wor with the Ontario Associa on of on-Prot Homes and Services for Seniors, the Ontario Long Term Care Associa on and other sta eholders to iden fy and provide appropriate funding levels for long-term care homes Your Green MPPs will:

Support a government led capacity planning exercise to develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy for the long care sector Re-examine implementa on of the government's Appropriate Level of Care strategy, par cularly the cri cal needs component, to achieve a balance between pa ents' needs and the ethnic, cultural or religious ma eup of individual homes

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