Home care agency seeks $4.7 M to reduce deficit

The head of the Erie St. Clair Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) is seeking $4.68 million in new funding to help her agency deal with an $8 to $10 million deficit, the Sarnia Observer reports.

CUPE Local 4370 president Brian Biggers told the Observer that worker hours have been reduced.

"It's having a sort of revolving door effect on staff," he said. "Because staff have to move on to other things. They have to survive."

The CCAC has asked the Chatham Kent hospital to limit its referrals to the CCAC because of the CCAC's budget deficit.

The Ministry of Health and LTC claims that improvements in home care will offset the budget squeeze on hospital services. However, the Observer reports a doubling of in-patients at the local Sarnia hospital waiting for less intensive forms of health care. Meanwhile the Chatham-Kent hospital is planning to cut over 20 beds.

The government agency responsible for funding the CCAC was unavailable for comment to the Oberver. In the past, the Minister of Health has suggested more money was coming for home care.

We are now more than 4 and a half months into the fiscal year.

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