Setting federal standards in long-term care and continuing care
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of federal government leadership in health care. The pandemic’s impact has been particularly dramatic in long-term care homes, exposing a fragmented and under-resourced system that is heavily reliant on for-profit delivery.
This report proposes foundational principles for pan-Canadian continuing care services. These principles recognize the need for a shared, equitable approach that allows for diversity in practices across jurisdictions, communities, groups and individuals to address local contexts and needs in evidence-informed ways. The report also proposes national standards for long-term care homes and examines the need for a federal labour force strategy.
About the authors
Pat Armstrong
Pat Armstrong is a CCPA research associate and a distinguished research professor in Sociology at York University.
Marcy Cohen
Marcy Cohen is a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and an adjunct faculty member in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She has co-authored a number of research and policy studies looking at public solutions to the current challenges in our health care system, including the 2007 CCPA publication Why Wait? Public Solutions to Cure Surgical Waitlists.