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Old 04-23-2013, 04:38 PM   #184
Tapioca
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Quote:
Originally Posted by godwin View Post
No the top level people don't but the people actually do the work are unionized.

The problem is fixing problem like this requires a lot of trial and error and quite a bit of agility. Being unionized doesn't help (case in point the nurse practitioners fiasco), not to mention it is going to cost a lot more.

The fact is DTES services is actually quite efficient financially because everything is so concentrated there.. eg the mental health team is the largest in Canada, and they are very multidisciplinary (psychs, social work, nurse and police work as a team etc) and response rate is actually very good for acute cases(.
My point wasn't about health services; my point was that we have allowed low income people, the mentally ill, and substance abusers to congregate in the DTES because they have nowhere else to go. We are very good at keeping people alive, but we are not good at getting these people to escape poverty and destitution.

Health care reform is a whole other can of worms. Again, our health care system is catered to keeping people alive, but we have under-invested in prevention and wellness. You know what's going to kill us? Substance abuse and type 2 diabetes.
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