We've led the fightback on this for literally decades. We weren't asked, but if we were, we would have pointed out that Ontario not only has the fewest hospital beds left of all the provinces in Canada, it is almost last among all OECD nations. Why? 1/6>> thetrillium.ca/news/health/ho… ...
Because every service cut from public hospitals is privatized. (Eg. They cut the chronic care beds... & privatized them to for-profit long-term care chains. They cut wound care & privatized it, etc.)

Because Ontario funds our hospitals at the lowest rate in Canada. 2/6>>

There comes a time when one cannot sit on the sidelines and let it happen. When conscience and community compel one to action. I believe we are there. 🧵👇



#PeopleOverProfit #StopForProfitFord #Stop2TierFord #onpoli #onhealth StopForProfitHealthcare.ca
It is like we have reached a tipping point. If we do nothing, we accept the ever accelerating destruction of the public health care it took generations of Canadians to build.

The number of hospital closures has broken all records.

Our new report, released today, tracks emergency dept closures in #Ontario hospitals this yr. We found a total of 868 emergency closures so far: a new record. We found other vital service closures also. Details🧵👇
#onpoli Our new report, "Unprecedented and Worsening: Ontario’s Local Hospital Closures 2023", paints a stark picture of a health care system that has tipped into collapse while @fordnation's policy choices actively undermine staffing.
2/12
The report is here: tinyurl.com/4ked2j86

If you've been charged for a cataract surgery, diagnostic test like an MRI/CT scan, other medically needed surgery in a private clinic in #Ontario we need to hear from you URGENTLY.

(Note if you've been charged for lab tests scroll down.)

🧵with details 👇 cont'd...

We're collecting evidence about private clinics & how they are extra-billing patients illegally. We want to expose it publicly.

This fall we will also be actively pursuing getting people's money back for illegal charges.

more details 👇 2/8

Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback today:

The Coalition is mounting a province-wide referendum to stop the Ford Government’s (@fordnation's) Privatization of Our Public Hospitals.

Here's how it is going to work & how everyone can help:
1/10 Health Coalitions are organizing voting stations outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, at legions and community centres and in every busy part of our communities that we can.

On Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 we will hold the referendum.

2/10>>

Yesterday @fordnation joined Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell in officially inducting the 2020 members in the Order of Ontario, inclu frmr Conservative premiers Ernie Eves & Mike Harris,

A🧵 on what they did & how much they made.

Strap in. It's quite a story 1/10>>

#onpoli The Mike Harris gov't (Ernie Eves was his finance minister) launched the Health Services Restructuring Commission that ordered the closure of 43 hospitals.
> 11,400 hospital beds were cut.
> 1 in 3 of Ontario's acute care & chronic care hospital beds were closed. 2/ >>

🚨 The crisis in our hospitals has stretched our public hospitals beyond the breaking point.

- ERs shut down across the province
- Hospitals with no beds available
- Ambulances unavailable for emergency calls

See our new report ⬇️
ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/repo… There are hospital beds & operating rooms that are closed because they haven't been funded & staffed across Ontario.

@fordnation is choosing to fund private for-profit clinics & hospitals that often extra bill patients. This is an urgent threat to single tier public health care.

📢OHC awards the Ethel Meade Award, Daniel Benedict Award & Orville Thacker Award to exemplary Ontarians who have protected public health

Release:ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/rele…
📺: fb.watch/gmuz2Pm9U0/ 🧵 The Ethel Meade Award was created upon Ethel's retirement from the OHC Board & is given to the person whose research has made a crucial contribution to protecting public health care.

We are pleased to award Rabbi Shalom Shachter (@elderactivist) with the Ethel Meade Award.

Huge thank you to the dozens of Ontarians who have sent us your submission opposing the proposed new license for Southbridge's Orchard Villa ❤️🙏

View our submission here: ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/upda… The legislation says that someone is only eligible to be issued a license for a #LTC home if… the past conduct relating to the operation of a #LTC home ... affords reasonable grounds to believe that the home will be operated in accordance w the law & with honesty & integrity /2

📢 #COVID19 Spread, LTC outbreaks, hospitalizations & deaths raise red flags despite @fordnation's suppression of data

On Dec 31 @fordnation restricted PCR testing & ushered in a new era of data suppression making it impossible to know how far COVID has spread in ON🧵 @MoriartyLab & a group of doctors & researchers at COVID-19 Resources Canada have used the best data to calculate the spread in our communities.

Key Findings👇

Oct 14: 69K new daily cases in ON. That is 44% of 🇨🇦's new cases despite making up 39% of 🇨🇦's pop #CovidIsNotOver

The Ford gov't has made claims about the new LTC Bill, which gives new powers to force the elderly and persons with disabilities/chronic illness who are waiting in hospitals into long-term care homes against their choice, that do not accord with the facts.

Fact Check Thread ⬇️ 1. There are 38,000 people waiting for a LTC home in Ontario. The reason that there are Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients in hospitals waiting for LTC is the LTC wait list. The only LTC homes that do not have long waiting lists are those to which people do not want to go.

@fordnation limits debate & removes public hearings to push through Bill 7
@fordnation passed a motion to limit the debate of Bill 7 & allows Second & Third Reading to happen on the same day. Bill 7 allows the gov't to start the process to push seniors into #LTC w/o consent 1/4 The motion limits debate in the Leg to just 2 hrs for 2nd Reading and 2 hrs for 3rd Reading & they can pass both readings in 1 day

They have advised that they will not be holding public hearings. This is undemocratic & is a blatant attempt to trample on seniors' rights 2/4

Just reading the @TorontoStar article that frames the entire issue of contravention the right to consent for elderly patient from @fordnation's claims, makes some bizarre assertions and does not interview a single patient advocate to check the truth.>
#onpoli
@robferguson1 The odious (and false) title?
"Ford government pushes hospitals to bill patients who won’t leave when cleared for long-term care"
Seriously.

That is a horrible way to characterize what is happening to elderly patients.

We are issuing a fact checker. A quick preview>>

#onpoli

📢 @OntarioHealthC Assembly & Conference
📅Sat Oct 1 & Sun Oct 2
🏢Central YMCA Toronto

With new plans to privatize health care in Ontario, one of the most important fights to defend Public Medicare in decades is happening now. Join us to build the fightback.

Pls share widely All who believe in Public Medicare who want to work to defend & improve it are welcome. Join us for briefings, speakers, report-ins & strategizing.

Central YMCA - 20 Grosvenor St, Toronto
Sat Oct 1 10:30 - 4:30 PM
Sun Oct 2 9:00 - 1:30 PM

Register here: store.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/collections/all

We've investigated the issue of fees for lab tests.

Bottom line? While it is true the Ford government is privatizing a whole bunch of health care services, they did not recently delist a slew of blood tests.

This is what's happening>>
1/9 Some tests aren't covered by OHIP because they aren't medically necessary. Now, arguably some things that aren't covered should be covered. So we've compiled a list of tests for which Ontarians are paying to see what the evidence is. But this is not a new cut done by Ford. > 2/9

IT STARTS NOW: Join the Fightback to Stop
@fordnation
's Health Privatization & Cuts

Join emergency summits to launch the fightback to stop health care privatization starting TONIGHT!

ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/even…

Thread with Towns & Zoom Registration links ⤵️ OTTAWA- Monday March 21 @ 7:00 pm
Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regist…
For more information:Ed Cashman ed.cashman.ottawa@gmail.com

NORTH BAY- Tuesday March 22 @ 7:00 pm
Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regist…
For more information: Henri Giroux hgiroux1@hotmail.com

LOCAL SUMMITS TO STOP PRIVATIZATION
▪️We will not let @fordnation expand private hospitals, privatize 18K #LTC beds or further privatize home care.
▪️We will stop the privatization of vaccines & #COVID19 testing
▪️We will not allow cuts to public services
It Stops Now!
Thread⬇️ Be part of the IRON RING around our public health care.

Find locations, speakers, registration links & more details on how to get involved ⬇️
ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/even…

URGENT Emergency Summit TONIGHT
7 pm by Zoom
On Feb. 1 @fordnation Health Minister @celliottability announced plans to allow private clinics (Independent Health Facilities) operate for-profit hospitals in Ontario. #onpoli #cdnpoli 1/6
0:38 sec.marker⬇️
cbc.ca/player/play/19… 2/6
..The media missed it but it is a bombshell announcement. It means, for the first time since the inception of OHIP, an Ontario government would bring in U.S.-style for-profit hospitals. Under Ontario law, new for-profit hospitals are currently banned and have been since 1973.

Ford Gov'ts New LTC Act
Quick Initial Analysis
Oct. 28, 2021 at 3 p.m.

@fordnation & @rodphillips01 have gone to extreme lengths to brand this as a new LTC Act. It is not a new Act at all! But there are some changes.
#onpoli

Thread>

For full summary:
ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/rele… Bottom line? There are a few amendments to the existing Act. Many of them fluff. A few of them (particularly those favouring expansion of for-profit ownership) are terrible. The most-teased promise of new enforcement mostly currently exists....
2/

There is confusion about what @fordnation's #LTC minister @RodPhillips01 announced re. inspections.

To be clear what he announced was "new" "proactive" inspections. He did not commit to reinstating the in-depth annual inspections of all LTC homes (called RQI inspections) 1/3 Strip away the glowing adjectives & what we have is no commitment to ensure there is an annual surprise RQI on every LTC home.

(This is a longstanding priority from all the public interest groups that care about the interests of residents.)

The reason we are raising this? 2/3

Now that @fordnation has prorogued the Ontario Legislature, let's review their record of health legislation to date:

▪️a bill that shields for-profit #LTC chain corporations from liability for their negligence in the pandemic
... 1/4
#onpoli ▪️a bill to dismantle all public governance of home care, hand it over to the provider co's (the majority of which are for-profit) & privatize all remaining public home care in Ontario.

(This was @fordnation & @ChrisElliottMPP's priority as the 2nd wave was coming) 2/4