Tag Archives: Community-Based Organizations

Municipal: Detox Services in Moose Jaw

Posted on January 30, 2012 by christinemiller

To read the letter written to Mayor Glenn Hagel regarding detox services in Moose Jaw, please click on the link below:

January 17, 2012 letter to Mayor Hagel re: Angus Campbell

Here is the response from the Mayor of Moose Jaw:

January 20, 2012 Response from Mayor Hagel re: Angus Campbell

SEIU-West followed up with some more questions for the Mayor and City Council:

January 30, 2012 Follow up letter to Mayor Hagel re: Angus Campbell Centre

A response has yet to be received.

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Public Meeting – What an eye opener for the residents of Pleasant View in Moose Jaw!

Posted on January 26, 2012 by christinemiller

The Five Hills Health Region (FHHR) sponsored a public meeting on Jan. 24, 2012 in order to discuss their plan to relocate the detox facility to the site of the former Ina Grafton Gage home in Moose Jaw and realign the services being  provided by Thunder Creek Rehabilitation Association (TCRA).

One FHHR Representative, a consultant and the Executive Director of TCRA were on hand to provide (what has been reported as) vague answers to direct and pointed questions from the residents of Pleasant View, the workers, board members, and former clients of Angus Campbell, as well as members/leaders of SEIU-West.

The two main concerns clearly outlined by the residents of Pleasant View were : (more…)

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Revised — Less Service for More People Caught in the Grips of Addiction

Posted on December 9, 2011 by christinemiller
Moose Jaw – Another Community-Based Organization could shut down due to funding cuts. Five Hills Health Region (FHHR) recently announced that it plans to cut all funding to Angus Campbell Centre, forcing it to close on March 31, 2012, after it has provided over 35 years of front line support to all clients who suffer from addictions in Moose Jaw.
FHHR refers approximately 20% of the clients Angus Campbell sees while providing funding that is less 1% of the Regions annual expenses.
“So far this year we had an addition of 805 non-Health Region referred clients who stayed an average of 11 days in our facility. This year, we’ve had to turn away 504 people in need between the months of April and September,” said Barb Gailey, Addictions Councillor and SEIU-West member. “Clearly there is a need to expand our services in this community, not close us down.” – 30 -

“This is another example of the original need for sustainable, reliable and indexed funding for the Community-Based Sector,” said Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “The clients accessing the services at Angus Campbell have had good outcomes because of the quality skills of the staff. This facility should remain open and functioning.”

Currently, there are 24 beds in use at the Centre. There is space for another 8 now and capacity to add an additional 20 with some facility updates. Instead, FHHR plans on moving the services of Thundercreek Rehabilitation Centre into the facilities previously owned by Ina Grafton Gage Home. This facility is much older and would require roughly $1.3 million to renovate, in addition to cost of acquiring the space itself.

“We respect the work that is done by Thundercreek and we know that their work is valuable to the community. The fact remains that their mandate is quite different from Angus Campbell and therefore they have different staffing requirements,” said Debbie Morrison, Addictions Counsellor. “We, at Angus Campbell, have to be certified counsellors in order to continue to receive funding from Five Hills. We are wondering how does Thundercreek qualify to provide services to the clients that we currently serve?”

Angus Campbell is sending an invoice to the Minister of Health for the $1,051,885.45 in expenses, as payment for the clients who come from other Health Regions in Saskatchewan. If they are successful with this appeal, Angus Campbell would keep its doors open.

“For the sake of our clients, I hope the Ministry of Health steps in and provides the funding. The people accessing the services of Angus Campbell need their government to help them get the help they need to be a part of these boom times in Saskatchewan,” said Morrison.

SEIU-West represents over 13,000 working people in the province of Saskatchewan including over 1000 Community-Based Organization professionals. Our members are your family, friends, and neighbours and are an important part of the services in your communities.

Christine Miller, Communications Coordinator – 306.652.1011 ext. 2250

(more…)

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SEIU-West releases first Walk-A-Day Video

Posted on October 27, 2011 by christinemiller

October 27, 2011

For Immediate Release

Saskatoon – Residents, staff, management and board members of Cheshire Homes in Saskatoon hosted the launch of the Service Employees International Union West’s (SEIU-West’s) very first “Walk-A-Day in My Shoes” video. The video was produced, in partnership with Cheshire, in order to highlight the valuable work being done in Community-Based Organizations in the province of Saskatchewan.

“Though this is just one day, we plan on doing further videos with a variety of the members we represent who work in different sectors,” said Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West. “We have planned this program for some time, and are happy that we were able to get Cheshire on board with us.”

The program, first started in the United States by SEIU, began with candidates who were running for election. “Elected officials make decisions every day that effect workplaces. The people that we elect, need to see the consequences of legislation, or lack of it, in some cases, and the outcomes upon the care and services our members provide,” said Cape. “We decided to do this program differently in our province. We thought that we would ask current Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to participate, highlight our employers as well as our members and set aside our workplace issues to really get at the heart of issues facing the sector.”

“I think SEIU-West should be commended for doing this,” Judy Junor says in the video. “Not everyone gets an opportunity to do this, and I would encourage other elected officials to participate. It was a real privilege to do this.”

“We want our staff to stay and be a part of our family here at Cheshire,” said Ernest Boyko, Executive Director of Cheshire. “The residents need more than just physical support, they need the skill of a trained professional to talk to and help them through their day so they can remain active and productive in the community. Unfortunately, with the current funding challenges, it’s difficult to retain our staff, provide additional training and run the programs our residents need and deserve.”

“I’ve worked in long-term care doing a similar job, and though it did pay slightly more, I get more satisfaction out of the extra time I get to spend with the residents here,” said Steve Olson, the SEIU-West member who is featured in the film. “However, I do have to maintain a second job in order to support my family.”

“Lifting the veil off the Community-Based Organization Sector, I’m excited about that,” said Barbara Cape. “This sector has been subject to sporadic funding commitments but has had no real long-term stable funding increases.”

The video can be found on-line at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIueXa-AozQ

SEIU-West represents approximately 1000 Community-Based Organization workers across the Saskatchewan who work in Assisted living facilities, Addiction treatment, child care and women’s crisis intervention facilities.

- 30 -

For more information, contact:

Christine Miller, Communications Coordinator – 306.652.1011 ext. 2250

Read it as a PDF: Media Release: SEIU-West releases first Walk-A-Day video

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Walk-A-Day in My Shoes: Cheshire Homes, Steve Olson and Judy Junor