FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Niagara Falls, ON – A new report warns that government’s funding plan through to 2027-28 will intensify wait-times and harm patient care, with more 10,000 job losses and nearly 2,400 hospital bed reductions expected across Ontario.
The government recently directed hospitals to plan for two per cent annual funding increases until 2027-28, well below the six per cent increase in costs. This has already led to hundreds of job eliminations across the province, including in the Niagara Health System.
The government’s plan will have harsh consequences for patients at a time when 2,000 patients are receiving “hallway healthcare” every day, says the report by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, the hospital division of CUPE.
Driven to the brink: projected cuts to intensify hospital crisis will be released at a press conference in Niagara Falls at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 11.
The report uses data on hospital staffing, capacity and funding from multiple official sources, and offers recommendations to address patient needs and restore lost capacity in the sector.
On Wednesday, the union will also reveal the projected staffing and hospital bed cuts in Niagara through to 2027-28, and contrast that with the resources required to maintain current service levels.
Who: Michael Hurley, president of OCHU/CUPE
Doug Allan, senior researcher, CUPE
What: OCHU/CUPE press conference to release full findings of new research report on
Ontario hospital care
When: 10 a.m., Wednesday, February 11
Where: Niagara Falls Public Library (Conference room 2), 4848 Victoria Ave, Niagara Falls
-30-
For more information contact:
Zee Noorsumar
CUPE Communications
647-995-9859
znoorsumar@cupe.ca
