Health and Community Services
March 27, 2014
Backgrounder
Investments to Increase Access and Enhance Long-Term Care,
Cancer Treatment and Seniors Programming
Budget 2014 includes targeted investments to
increase access to important health care services for all Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians, with a total budget investment of nearly $3 billion.
Improving Access to Health Care Services
Investments through Budget 2014 are increasing access to health care
services for residents throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including:
-
$6.7 million for the continuation of the
Adult Dental Program, including increasing the cap for basic dental
services from $150 to $200;
-
$2 million to increase capacity for
autism assessment and to reduce wait times for children with autism and
other developmental conditions, annualizing to $3.9 million in 2015-16;
-
$1.8 million to continue implementing
the Provincial Wait Time Strategy for Hip and Knee Joint Replacement;
-
$1.5 million to establish a hemodialysis
site in Bonavista;
-
$1.2 million to address increased growth in
hemodialysis in Stephenville and St. John’s;
-
$739,200 to continue implementing the
Provincial Emergency Department Wait Time Strategy;
-
$712,000 for a provincial smoking cessation
medication program for people living with low incomes;
-
$711,500 to expand the Medical
Transportation Assistance Program to; increase the monthly
accommodations cap from $1,500 to $3,000 and the rate for private
vehicle use from 16 cents per kilometre to 20 cents; change the
reimbursement formula to reimburse 75 per cent of eligible expenses over
$3,000 per year; and, decrease the private vehicle kilometre threshold
from 2,500 kilometres per year to 1,500 kilometres;
-
$700,000 to extend drug card coverage for
low income residents under the Prescription Drug Program from six months
to a year;
-
$500,000 to enhance the Provincial Home
Dialysis Program to increase access for patients who meet certain
criteria, meaning less travel away from home for treatment;
-
$400,000 for planning to establish a Central
Medical Dispatch Centre which will help integrate 911 services,
streamline routine and emergency response transports, and help improve
ambulance availability and response times;
-
$383,700 to add a second methadone
maintenance treatment team in St. John’s;
-
$350,000 to expand the provincial
vaccination program, including greater access to influenza vaccines,
whooping cough vaccines for adults and second dose chicken pox vaccine
for children; and,
-
$158,800 to expand the Newborn Screening
Program to include Cystic Fibrosis.
Meeting Long-Term Care and Community Support Services Needs
Budget 2014 includes $61 million in new funding for long-term care and
community support services throughout the province, including:
-
$26.2 million for the new
long-term care facility in Carbonear;
-
$8.2 million to implement
the Paid Family Care Giving Home Support Option;
-
$6.8 million for growth in
the Home Support Program;
-
$6.6 million for the
continued expansion of the long-term care facility in Happy Valley-Goose
Bay;
-
$3.3 million to finish
construction of the new St. John’s long-term care facility;
-
$3.2 million to launch
four Community Rapid Response Teams providing enhanced health services and
home support to seniors in their homes, reducing the need for admissions to
a hospital;
-
$2.5 million for the
continued construction of a protective care residence in Clarenville;
-
$2 million to increase the
Personal Care Home and Community Care Home monthly subsidy to $1,950;
-
$1.4 million to open an
18-bed Alternate Level of Care Unit in Western Memorial Regional Hospital in
Corner Brook;
-
$700,000 to address
long-term care needs on the Burin Peninsula, including construction of a
protective care residence;
-
$600,000 to begin planning
for long-term care needs in the central Newfoundland region;
-
$350,000 for the
completion of the North Haven Manor in Lewisporte;
-
$300,000 to address
capacity issues in the Community Support Services sector;
-
$273,000 to increase the
monthly rate at Alternate Family Care Homes to $1,355; and,
-
$200,000 to increase
transportation mileage for Personal Care Homes from 35 cents per kilometre
to 55 cents.
Improving Cancer Treatment and Care
Budget 2014 provides funding of $24 million to enhance the care and
treatment of people with cancer, including:
-
$7.1 million for coverage
of new drug therapies under the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug
Program, including drugs to assist in the treatment of cancer;
-
$1.3 million to fund new
drug therapies for cancer care at Eastern Health; and,
-
$500,000 for a study of
safe radiation services delivery in western Newfoundland.
Recognizing the Importance of Age-Friendly Initiatives
The Provincial Government, through the Department of Health and Community
Services, invests nearly $64 million annually in seniors-related programs.
Budget 2014 allocates continued funding for several age-friendly
initiatives, including:
-
$3.7 million for a
continued 35 per cent reduction on driver’s licence, vehicle registration
and other licences and fees, such as hunting and fishing;
-
$500,000 to continue the
Age-Friendly Transportation Grant Program which increases access for older
adults, as well as individuals with mobility challenges, to affordable and
reliable transportation;
-
$285,500 for
implementation of the Adult Protection Act, once proclaimed;
-
$270,000 for the
Age-Friendly Newfoundland and Labrador grants program; and,
-
$100,000 for the
continuation of the Healthy Aging Research Program which supports
researchers in completing work in the area of aging and seniors.
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Media contact:
Jennifer Tulk
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 728-4104
JenniferTulk@gov.nl.ca
2014 03 27 2:45 p.m.