41 Employees will be losing their jobs at Bridgepoint Community Rehab (B.C.R.)

On November 29, 2007 therapy and clerical staff of B.C.R. were informed of the Board of Directors decision, that they would not renew their contract to provide home rehabilitation services with the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre.

As a result of this decision, 41 employees, members of Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 550 will be losing their jobs as of March 28, 2008.

Since 2001 B.C.R. employees have been providing therapy services in the home to patients/clients in the Greater Toronto area, including East York, such as Physiotherapy, Speech Language Pathology, Social Work and Occupational Therapy.
B.C.R.'s decision not to bid on the next request for proposal (RFP) for therapy services in Toronto, will mean that these services will as of April 01, 2008 be subject to the RFP bidding process, and will ultimately be provided by a different service provider.

This change in service provider will result in the disruption and continuity of care to approximately 40,000 patients/clients visits a year.
This decision by B.C.R. will also have a major impact on the lives of the 41 B.C.R. employees, who will be losing their jobs as of March 28, 2008, and will no longer have access to health and welfare benefits, HOOPP, paid vacations, job security, etc as a result of B.C.R.'s decision to not engage in the bidding process for therapy services provided by the Toronto Central CCAC.

This will lead to the loss of experienced and long service community therapists.
The Ontario Government has mandated the provision of Home Care.

CNW Group

"Where is the government's support for its front line professional workers that provide this service in Toronto?"

Dangerous drugs still prescribed to seniors

Doctors are still prescribing dangerous drugs to seniors, despite government warnings.

Over two years ago was reported, that more than a million seniors were prescribed atypical antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics are specific kinds of antipsychotic drugs. They are considered by many experts to be ineffective or even dangerous for elderly patients.

Health Canada followed up with warnings pointing to the drugs' side effects according to 13 scientific studies, which included a 60 percent greater risk of death in seniors who were taking the drugs than in patients taking placebos.
It also warned that elderly patients taking atypical antipsychotics were almost twice as likely to die from side effects such as heart failure.

In its advisory, Health Canada requested that the drugs' manufacturers include a warning describing the risk in the safety information sheet provided along with the drugs, and that health care providers refrain from relying too much on the drugs to treat dementia.

Atypical antipsychotics are drugs such as Risperidone (Risperdal), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and Clozapine (Clozaril).
Many of these types of drugs have never been tested on seniors.
They are intended to treat severe mood disorders, symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults under 65.

A new investigation has revealed that the number of prescriptions of these drugs for seniors actually increased in spite of and after the Health Canada warnings.
They shot up in six provinces, including in Ontario and Quebec.

In some cases, they increased by 40 percent, according to sales data provided by IMS Health, a business intelligence and strategic pharmaceutical and health-care consulting firm.

Read the rest of CBC's story here

Editor's opinion:

"Hmm, I wonder if the drug industry with its incentive programs has anything to do with it..................."

In Newfoundland and Labrador an initiative for drug use among seniors has just been announced last week:

New program to help seniors taking medication in a safer way

The Canadian health care system: a personal story

This is a video from Milena Tjekovska from Alberta telling about her own experience with the Canadian health care system.

Toronto's Bridgepoint Health launches latest eHealth presentation.

Last Tuesday, an exciting new Bridgepoint Health LiveWell! Podcast and Videocast were aired by first featured speaker and initiator Dr. Alex Jadad, Chief Innovator and Founder, Centre for Global eHealth Innovation.

His presentation, entitled "Living Well with Chronic Disease in the Age of the Internet and Social Networks" is now available as a Video(pod)cast: here.

Highlights are:

• Why a "tidal wave" of chronic illness is coming
• How can we minimize its impact
• How are Virtual Social Networks impacting chronic care
• Facebook: Bringing friends, students and patients together for chronic disease management
• How patients are self organizing today
• Joining forces
• Embracing innovation and change

Bridgepoint Health launched the new LiveWell! lecture series to support the community's understanding of the economic, social and public impacts of people living with Complex Chronic Disease.

Bridgepoint Health has taken the lead in recognizing that Complex Chronic Disease patients require a different kind of care than the current system was designed for.

With our commitment to changing the world for people living with Complex Chronic Disease, Bridgepoint Health is building a unique "campus of care".

This hospital will provide specialized care to meet the complicated medical needs of our patients. It will also create an environment to foster a new generation of researchers, doctors, nurses and therapists.
These professionals will be equipped with new knowledge and new skills to help people live well while living with Complex Chronic Disease.
Which means we'll be ready to help you enjoy your extra 10 or 15 years.

Dr. Alex Jadad Dr. Alex Jadad's mission is to help improve health and wellness for all, thorough information and communication technologies (ICTs). Dr. Jadad is the founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. He is also spearheading the development of the Global eHealth and eWellness Network Initiative (GENI, pronounced as "genie").


More info can be found at www.lifechanges.ca or www.bridgepointhealth.ca.