Monday, January 28, 2008
For the Attention of
Hospital CEOs, Board Chairs and OHA Board of Directors
Tom Closson
President and CEO
OHA Presentation to the SCFEA and Pre-Budget Advocacy
This afternoon, OHA Board Chair Mark Rochon and I presented the OHA’s 2008 Ontario Budget recommendations to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) of the Ontario Legislative Assembly.
Our presentation was based on the themes of “access,” “quality” and “efficiency.” While making the point that Ontario’s hospitals rank among the most efficient in Canada in providing safe, quality patient services, we made it clear that our hospital and health systems are currently facing significant resource and capacity challenges. Further, we outlined how these challenges are already affecting our collective ability to meet the needs of patients (i.e., the management of Alternate Level of Care patients), and indicated our interest in working with the government to find immediate short-term solutions while we await the implementation of the government’s longer-term “Aging at Home” strategy.
Our presentation is attached to this Bulletin.
The OHA expects the 2008 Ontario Budget to be presented in late March. In the weeks ahead, the OHA plans to reinforce and expand upon the issues and recommendations we discussed at the SCFEA through a series of public advocacy activities. These will be tied to the upcoming Member Engagement Forums that Mark and I will host though February and March, and include speaking events, meetings with the editorial staff of regional and provincial news organizations, and discussions with key political and civil service decision-makers, including the Minister and Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. These activities will be over and above the planned critical-issue monitoring we are currently undertaking with regard to the H-SAA negotiations. More information about our pre-budget advocacy activities will be provided to you in the days ahead.
Should you have any questions about the OHA’s presentation to the SCFEA or the upcoming pre-budget advocacy activities, please contact me by telephone at 416-205-1452 or by email at tclosson@oha.com, or Anthony Dale, Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs, by telephone at 416-205-1348 or by email at adale@oha.com.