Dear members,
As the summer quickly passes, we wanted to give you an update on here we’re at in the merger and introduce you to a new website for your sector. This newsletter includes two great interviews from a nurse and Care Coordinator and an Administrative Learning and Development Educator, where they describe their work and the challenges they face on the job.
A lot has happened this summer: all eight bargaining units have now ratified new collective agreements! The gains made at the bargaining table were thanks to the high participation of all CUPE Ontario Health at Home members who took part in the ‘Workers and Families Can’t Wait’ campaign and the dedication of elected bargaining committees. Your campaign was a success and every single member who signed the petition, asked coworkers to sign and/or attended a day of action should be proud of your work!
All Ontario Health at Home workers have had to learn new policies and procedures that came with the amalgamation of all 14 HCCSS locals into one on June 28. A PSLRTA application has not yet been filed by the employer, and your current collective agreements remain in place. You should continue to enforce your collective agreement with your new Employer, Ontario Health at Home. Please continue to report any changes in staffing to your local representatives as soon as you can.
The important work you do: Interviews with two Ontario Health at Home professionals
There are over 1700 Ontario Health at Home CUPE members across Ontario who work in a variety of settings in home and community care, including personal support workers, occupational and physio therapists, IT and administrative support, team assistants, and other healthcare workers who provide the care that Ontarians need. CUPE also represents nurses in two all-employee bargaining units.
Two Ontario Health at Home CUPE members, who have a combined 35 years’ experience in home and community care, graciously offered to share their perspectives on the work they do and the challenges they face on the job.
These interviews have been condensed for readability.
Marta Halon, Care Coordinator & Registered Nurse, Local 966.08 Mississauga Halton
As a care coordinator, I provide telephone assessments for our patients who call in. These callers can be any age and have any healthcare issue, in any situation, and the referrals we receive come from all kinds of sources. I assess their eligibility for our services, and based on my assessment, I develop care plans and set up the services they’re eligible for.
In addition to this, care coordinators navigate our patients through the Ontario healthcare system. This could include helping them gain access to resources in their communities, provide them with resources and information, and we also advocate for our patients with other health care professionals, like calling their family doctor. We help them make health care decisions and problem solve.
Because this work is done over the phone – and I think this isn’t recognized enough – a key service we provide is listening to patients’ very personal stories. For a lot of our patients, we’re the only health care professional they’ve talked to so far, and sometimes just listening and providing support provides a great comfort to them.
In September I’ll hit my 24-year mark of working as a Care Coordinator in Ontario, and I absolutely love it. It is absolutely amazing what I’ve learned from patients who call in. Each situation is different, and how people handle life and handle their issues, it’s absolutely rewarding to hear them talk about that.
But our health care system is ever-changing and is very complex. It’s especially challenging now because of the merger. We just went through a huge change in June and July in a very short period of time. We had to become familiar with a lot of new policies and procedures, and we weren’t really told by our employer of the details of the merger and how that would change our work. And our volumes are very high – they’re absolutely the highest I’ve ever seen, and we’re trying to process this while we’re dealing with these changes. So we’re dealing with a lot of stresses in terms of workload issues.
Natalia Raymond, Administrative Learning and Development Educator, Local 503 Champlain
I began 11.5 years ago, in the Champlain region, as a Team Assistant and am now serving as the Administrative Learning and Development Educator.
My primary responsibilities include managing the onboarding process for new non-clinical administrative staff, developing new projects and procedures, and creating educational materials to enhance staff skills. Additionally, I address training requests from managers and conduct probationary and performance evaluations.
I’ve encountered some challenges in my role, such as adapting to the ongoing changes in the healthcare sector and managing the complexities associated with organizational mergers. Maintaining my work and personal life balance amid evolving demands can be difficult, and I often need to manage multiple tasks and deadlines while addressing unforeseen issues.
I look forward to transition into a unified organization and am ready to tackle any new challenges.