Dale Clement, CEO of the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), says her organization is continuing to operate during a strike by care coordinators.
“I want to reassure CCAC patients, caregivers and the community that we are continuing to do everything we can to ensure patient safety and well-being,” said Clement on Feb. 10 as the strike reached it’s 12th day. “That’s important to all of us at the CCAC.”
The strike does not affect the nurses, personal support workers and others providing direct care in homes, schools and clinics.
Clement stresses that while some CCAC staff members have been redeployed from their usual jobs to answer phones or complete paper work, all clinical decisions are made by regulated health professionals with current registration.
“Anything else would be irresponsible,” she stated.
She notes the strike contingency team is keeping up with new and urgent referrals, and assessing patients for discharge from hospital to home or long-term care.
“It’s important to keep patient flow moving, so that hospitals don’t get backed up with people who are ready to go home. The CCAC has a triage system to ensure urgent needs are addressed quickly,” said Clement.
“We value the work of our care coordinators and look forward to their return. I know that they must be concerned about their patients.”
