Letter to Nancy Sears

Nancy Sears,

May 30, 2001.

Dear Ms. Sears,

We would like to applaud the CCAC’s interest in community input on the provincial government’s recent cutback in funding for community care.

Our concern is that the time frame does not allow for useful comment.  For you to have a response to the government on June 11 essentially means that the public’s opinions must be submitted over the next few days.  The result will be that only a limited number of people will be able to respond in at best a cursory fashion.   Even then your staff and political process will have a hard time collating the comments and finalizing a response by your deadline.

The issue you are seeking advice on, who should and who should not receive needed community health care, is important.  We would encourage you to extend the deadline for public comment until at least the end of June.  While we realize that this deadline is itself hurried, it would at least allow interested individuals and groups time to develop more thoughtful comments.

Our organization will be holding an emergency meeting next week to consider the issues you have raised in light of the provincial government’s actions.

Thanks you again for soliciting public input.  We hope you will be able to extend the time to make this meaningful.

Yours sincerely,

Charlie Stock                       Ross Sutherland

MEDIA RELEASE

Today the Kingston Health Coalition asked the KFL+A Access Centre (CCAC) to extend the time for public input on the provinces recent cut in funding to community health care in Kingston.

While applauding the action of the CCAC in requesting public input, the Coalition noted that the time line does not allow for any meaningful comment.  “ It is not an exaggeration to say that the issues being considered include life and death considerations for some people”, commented Ross Sutherland, co-Chair of the Health Coalition. “ Recent research has shown that even cutting back on home making support increases the morbidity and mortality of seniors.  We can not as a community effectively comment on issues  this important in a few days.”

The Coalition is suggesting that the CCAC accept public comment up to at least the end of June.  A copy of the letter from the Coalition to the CCAC is attached.