Seniors unwilling participants in for-profit shuffle.
from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Alberta Health Services' plan to shut down Strathmore General Hospital's long-term care unit is just the latest move in the Redford government's plan to privatize seniors' care, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
Staff and families of long-term care residents were told April 9 that the hospital's facility will be shut down by October and the 23 residents relocated to the nearby private, for-profit Sagewood facility, owned by AgeCare. About 19 nursing and support staff positions at the hospital will be affected.
“The government is playing a shell game with Alberta’s elderly,” said Glen Scott, AUPE vice-president. “On one hand they claim they’re committed to opening more beds for seniors’ care, while on the other they’re closing public beds around the province.”
Scott said AgeCare has received more than $21 million in taxpayer subsidies to build Sagewood.
"The government has handed out hundreds of millions in corporate welfare to build and operate for-profit facilities," he said. "To what end? All they seem to be doing is creating chaos for families and outsourcing responsbility for seniors' health."
"We've seen the same thing happen in other communities. In Carmangay, Bashaw, Stettler and Red Deer, AHS closed down its own long-term care beds and moved seniors to private, for-profit facilities. Albertans should be very alarmed. Wherever private facilities are opening up, public facilities seem to be shutting down."
About Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is Alberta's largest union, representing almost 80,000 Albertans who work in government, health care, education, boards and agencies, municipalities and private companies. The majority of AUPE’s members work in the public sector.
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