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NEWS RELEASE VON Congratulates the NDP Ottawa, Ontario - January 13, 2006 - With more than 100 years of home care experience behind its name, the VON (Victorian Order of Nurses) is pleased that the NDP is recognizing the importance of home care and earmarking $2B over 2 years. "As one of the fastest growing components of health care today, home care is at risk and will not be able to respond to the growing needs and demands of Canadians unless it is a priority and funded appropriately." said Dr. Judith Shamian, President and CEO, VON Canada. "The NDP's plan to invest $2 billion over 2 years to expand the coverage of home care will help to respond to the changing needs and demands of Canadians." VON is also pleased that the NDP would: Work with the provinces and territories to implement the Home Care Transfer recommended in the 2002 Final Report of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, which calls for the expansion of the Canada Health Act to include the following:
In a 2004 OECD Long-term care study, which includes home care, it was documented that Canada lags behind other developing countries in public spending for home care as a percentage of the GDP. Canada spends less than 0.3% of their GDP on home care while other countries, like Sweden for example, spend over 0.8%. VON is pleased that the NDP has recognized the importance of home care. VON is dedicated to being a leader in the delivery of innovative comprehensive health and social services and to influencing the development of health and social policy in Canada. We are a national health organization and registered charity offering a wide range of community health care solutions that meet the needs of Canadians from coast to coast. VON is committed to quality improvement and is accredited by the Canadian Council of Health Services Accreditation. Media inquiries: Jennifer Stevens -30- Sources |