Santé Québec

West Island CIUSSS slashes 160 jobs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The healthcare landscape in Montreal’s West Island is undergoing significant changes as the West Island CIUSSS announced plans to eliminate more than 160 positions, marking another chapter in Quebec’s contentious healthcare reform under the newly established Santé Québec.

The local health authority, grappling with an $80 million deficit—approximately six percent of its annual budget—will implement these cuts across both administrative and clinical sectors over the coming months. The announcement comes amid broader provincial healthcare restructuring that has already seen over 1,000 healthcare positions eliminated across Quebec between mid-November and mid-December.

The impact is already being felt on the ground. The agency has begun cost-cutting measures by ending approximately 100 replacement assignments, affecting positions covering maternity and disability leaves. Additionally, it is reducing overtime and eliminating certain on-call bonuses.

Dr. Paul Saba, a family physician in Lachine with extensive emergency room experience, warns that these cuts could have serious implications for patient care. “Cutbacks in healthcare will have an impact on healthcare outcomes,” Dr. Saba told The Suburban. “Rather than cut back on healthcare resources they need be relocated to areas that are pressing such as long wait times for surgeries, radiology services, including diagnostic biopsies and frontline services, including primary healthcare.”

Dr. Saba emphasizes the potential domino effect of these cuts. “If there are cutbacks in hospital services such as hospital admissions, the emergency rooms will back up, causing more delays in care,” he explained, adding that delayed services could prove life-threatening when early interventions are necessary.

Healthcare workers’ unions have expressed serious concerns about the impact of these cuts. Union representatives warn that it’s impossible to implement such significant staffing reductions without affecting service quality, potentially creating a ripple effect where reduced services in one area lead to increased pressure on emergency rooms and other acute care services.

Adding to the complexity, recent studies show that 43 out of every 100 new nurses in Quebec leave the profession before turning 35, a 29 percent increase since 2013. This retention crisis, combined with the current job cuts, raises questions about the long-term viability of these cost-saving measures.

“The government needs to be transparent about where the cuts are being done and their potential outcomes,” Dr. Saba stresses. As the West Island CIUSSS moves forward with its restructuring plan, the healthcare community watches closely. The success—or failure—of these measures could set a precedent for similar changes across Quebec’s healthcare system, all while the province continues its ambitious transformation under Santé Québec’s leadership.

For West Islanders, the message is clear: the healthcare system that they have known is changing. Whether these changes will lead to the improved efficiency promised by Santé Québec or result in reduced access to care, as predicted by healthcare advocates, remains to be seen. What’s certain is that the coming months will be crucial in determining the future of healthcare delivery in the West Island. n

West Island CIUSSS slashes 160 jobs Read More »

CLSC in Low saved

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , , , ,

By Trevor Greenway

The Low CLSC has been spared. It will not close, and it will not be reduced to one day a week, according to the CISSS de l’Outaouais (CISSSO). 

The CLSC in Low was, at one point this spring, on the chopping block to either close or reduce its hours to just one day a week. However CISSSO has confirmed to the Low Down that “there is no change to the CLSC’s service offer” in Low. 

“Local services are important to the population, especially those on the outskirts of urban areas. We are working to maintain them,” Santé Québec spokesperson Marianne Paquette told the Low Down.

This welcome but surprising decision to keep the Low CLSC open comes as part of a wider announcement by Santé Québec that that the initial $90 million that CISSSO was mandated to cut from its budget has been slashed in half – down to $45 million. With CISSSO having already cut $60 million from its budget in January, no more funding cuts are coming to the Outaouais. 

“The CISSS de l’Outaouais has a budget optimization target of $45 million. Given that we have already implemented measures to meet the objectives of the last financial period, no further measures will be implemented in terms of job cuts or major reorganizations,” Santé Québec spokesperson Qeren Boua told the Low Down in an email. “As our efforts in the last period amounted to almost 60 million, the remaining dollars will be used to absorb, among other things, the cost of inflation.”

In mid-March, CISSSO cut $60 million from its budget in an effort to help Santé Québec to slash $1.5 billion from its healthcare network. Those cuts came in the form of 800 health positions being abolished – a majority of them vacant jobs. The actual job cuts were around 100 staff, mostly in administrative positions. Santé Québec’s latest budget will see it cut $1 billion from its health network instead of $1.5 billion.

Paquette said that the province’s centralized health department is using three criteria to finalize and “optimize” budgets across regions, with tightening spending at the forefront. 

Paquette said her agency will have a “complete and more accurate picture of the situation” once its audited financial statements for Santé Québec are approved by its board of directors in June. 

MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Prefect Chantal Lamarche told the Low Down in April that she would “refuse” to see the Low CLSC close. After hearing about Santé Québec’s budget revisions this week, she was much happier.

“This is excellent news for our community, and I would like to highlight the work done in collaboration with the CISSSO to get to this point,” wrote Lamarche in an email. “I remain committed to defending the accessibility and quality of health services in our region.” 

Despite slashing the amount of what needed to be cut in half, advocates say they worry about the current state of healthcare in the region, as a cut of $45 million still puts the Outaouais far below funding compared to other regions of Quebec. 

“Reducing from $90 million to $45 million is not a victory; it is proof that the initial approach lacked nuance and would have unfairly impacted an already vulnerable region,” said SOS Outaouais spokesperson Jean Pigeon in a statement last week. 

He noted that the Observatoire de développement de l’Outaouais has estimated that the Outaouais region faces a funding shortfall of $180 million when compared to other regions in Quebec. 

“It is imperative that the government finally take our regional realities into account,” he said.

CLSC in Low saved Read More »

Job losses ‘unavoidable’ in round two of health cuts

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , , , ,

By Trevor Greenway

After slashing 800 health positions across the Outaouais, the head of CISSSO says that he still needs to cut an additional $30 million from its budget, money that will “certainly” result in more job losses. 

The CISSSO was mandated by the province’s new health department, Santé Québec, to slash $90 million from its budget in an overall effort to cut $1.5 billion from the province’s health sector by April 1. Last week, CISSSO announced it was cutting 800 health jobs as part of the cuts. However, CISSSO CEO Marc Bilodeau told the Low Down on March 20 that those cuts only represented two-thirds – $60 million of budget cuts – with an additional $30 million coming down the pike. 

“I think it’s unavoidable,” said Bilodeau when asked if the next round of cuts will result in job losses.  “Because 70 per cent of my expenditures are related to human resources, so expecting to cut without impacting positions is almost impossible.”  

While many of the 800 positions cut last week were vacant, with 104 personnel losing their jobs, Bilodeau says the next round of budget cuts will be especially difficult. He said the first round of cuts was focused on the “easy stuff,” like abolishing vacant positions. He admitted that there would be an impact on residents. He added that not all of the impacts of the cuts would be bad. 

“There would be some impact, but impact doesn’t mean, necessarily, negative impact,” said Bilodeau. “So it could have an impact on how the care is delivered but not necessarily on the amount of care being delivered.”

Dr. Bilodeau used the example of adapting patients with “very common mental health problems” into group therapy settings rather than one-on-one sessions: “I can have 10 patients in the same room with one healthcare provider, and I can do, basically, 10 times more than what I would do with a one-on-one intervention.” He added that managing hours, morale and work-life balance for front-line staffers will be key to moving forward successfully. 

Bilodeau said about two-thirds of the 104 health jobs cut in the region are front-line staff positions, but he added that many have been offered other positions “in more critical areas of our healthcare system.” 

SOS Outaouais president Jean Pigeon told the Low Down that, while the 800 job losses aren’t as dire as recent headlines suggest, the fact that over 600 vacant positions won’t be renewed kills any chance of recruiting more doctors, nurses or medical technicians to an already underfunded health region. According to the Observatoire de développement de l’Outaouais, it has estimated that the Outaouais region faces a funding shortfall of $180 million when compared to other regions in Quebec. 

“We need to point our fingers at the government here,” said Pigeon. “They are the ones who are making these decisions. And clearly this is not Mr. Bilodeau’s fault. It’s just going to create an overwhelming burden again in the workplace environment. Can we really let go of people that we need in a network that is underfunded and understaffed? No, it’s just chaotic.”

Three full-time positions abolished in Des Collines

According to health watchdog group Vigi Santé, the cuts will be felt locally, as three full-time positions in the Des Collines are being abolished: one at the CHSLD in Masham and two admin positions related to proximity services. 

“Two of them are actual job losses; the third one is a reassignment,” said Vigi Santé spokesperson Marcel Chartrand. 

Chartrand also noted that a 0.5 nursing position is being moved from the Masham CLSC to Cantley. Chartrand added that the cuts are also suspending key projects in the region, including a new seniors’ home in Masham and a multi-purpose, permanent vaccination centre in the Des Collines region.  “We are told time and again that services are not and will not be affected,” said Chartrand. “Hard to believe, as with fewer resources, there will be delays in providing services, and waiting times will be extended.”

No decision on CLSC in Low, yet

Dr. Bilodeau told the Low Down that, while there isn’t yet an official decision to cut services at the CLSC in Low to one day a week, he did say that “measures are on the table.”

“Obviously, some of those places like Low could be affected,” said Bilodeau. “I’m not saying they will be because it’s still being analyzed now, and we haven’t made a decision as to where it’s going to be with the last $30 million that we need to cut.” Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière did not return the Low Down’s calls for comments.

Job losses ‘unavoidable’ in round two of health cuts Read More »

Health officials advise caution amid flu surge

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Health officials advise caution amid flu surge

Ruby Pratka, LJI reporter

Health officials advise caution among flu surge

Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The province is experiencing its roughest flu season since before the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials confirmed last week. On Feb. 14, public health director Dr. Luc Boileau and Santé Québec deputy vice-president Robin Marie Coleman briefed reporters on the spread of respiratory viruses around the province.

“The good news is that COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus [test positivity rates] are continuing to drop. The bad news is that the influenza A curve is still rising,” Boileau said. “A few weeks ago, we said the peak would arrive around the first or second week of February. We are in the second week of February, so the data we have over the next week will allow us to determine whether it’s continuing to rise or if it’s stagnating or falling off.” 

Boileau said this flu season is one of the worst in the last decade. He said the Estrie and greater Montreal regions were the most affected, with positivity rates above 40 per cent, although there was no immediately obvious epidemiological reason why this was the case. 

Boileau said elderly people and young children face the highest risk of serious complications from the flu. He encouraged the general population, especially health-care workers, future parents and people with chronic illnesses, to take advantage of free flu vaccination, available at most local pharmacies via ClicSanté. “It’s not too late!” 

He noted that elderly and at-risk people can get a flu or COVID test at their local pharmacy and receive medication to stave off complications. People who are experiencing flu-like symptoms are encouraged to call Info-Santé 811 to speak to a nurse before going to the emergency room. “It’s better and healthier for people to stay at home if they have non-urgent care [situation] and wait in order to be redirected to a clinic directly with an appointment rather than expose themselves in an emergency room when it’s not an emergency situation,” Coleman said. 

Boileau advised people with the flu or flu-like symptoms to isolate at home unless absolutely necessary. “If you must leave home, to go to work or what have you, wear a mask while you have symptoms. You can be contagious seven or eight days after the beginning of symptoms. It’s not measles, but it’s still a very contagious virus. Be careful, wash your hands, cough in your elbow and take all of the other measures you’ve been hearing about.” He also suggested that people who are members of vulnerable groups wear masks in crowded environments, although the health ministry has no plans to impose additional mask requirements. 

Health officials advise caution amid flu surge Read More »

Keep vaccines up to date as flu season looms, Boileau warns

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

Keep vaccines up to date as flu season looms, Boileau warns

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Quebec public health director Dr. Luc Boileau struck a relatively optimistic note as he delivered a planned update on the progression of common respiratory viruses in Quebec on Jan. 24. “We’ve seen worse in the last few years.”

He presented Santé Québec data showing that test positivity rates for COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had dipped below 10 per cent for the first time in several weeks. COVID positivity rates, he noted, were at their lowest since early summer. “Things are going in the right direction; there are new variants that have gotten in place, but they are no more threatening than the ones we have seen in the past, and vaccination remains effective.”

Boileau said hospital admissions for RSV, which is most dangerous for elderly and immunocompromised people and newborns, have fallen since the province provided more than 40,000 newborns with an immunotherapy treatment. Seasonal flu positivity rates, however, were on the rise, and that trend was expected to continue. Boileau said health officials expected to see flu circulation peak in early February before tapering off gradually. “Flu is a serious disease, which sends 300 to 400 [Quebecers] to intensive care every year and even causes some deaths; it has an effective means of prevention, which is vaccination.” He said that although efficiency data on this year’s vaccine was not available, he expected it to be as efficient as in previous years.

He noted that certain stomach viruses – noroviruses and rotaviruses, which cause the dreaded gastro – appear to be circulating more than usual. He encouraged people to stay home if they have flu-like symptoms, particularly if they have a fever, and to wear a mask and avoid contact with vulnerable people if they must leave the house, and wash their hands regularly with soap, especially if they have or have recently had gastro.

Measles outbreak confined to Laurentians, Laval

Boileau said there were 13 cases of measles in the province as of Jan. 26, including two new cases in the past week, all linked to an outbreak in the Lauren- tians in early January. Although health officials were still waiting to see if new cases would arise, he said the outbreak appeared not to have spread further than greater Montreal.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children. According to Health Canada, Canadians born before 1970 are presumed protected against measles due to prior exposure, and most Canadians born after 1970 were vaccinated against measles in early childhood. Vaccine efficiency is close to 99 per cent. If you were not vaccinated against measles as a child, you can register to receive the vaccine for free on ClicSanté, Boileau said. If you don’t know your vaccination status, he said, it is safe to receive the shot twice.

Keep vaccines up to date as flu season looms, Boileau warns Read More »

Province reports slight drop in ER wait times

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

Province sees slight drop in ER wait times

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Officials with Santé Québec, the Crown corporation launched last fall with a stated goal of improving the co-ordination of the various agencies within the province’s public health system, sounded an opti- mistic note as they briefed reporters about provincewide emergency room crowding at a press conference in Montreal on Jan. 10.

“Since Dec. 28, our hospitals have been under pressure,” said Santé Québec executive vice president for operations and transformation Frédéric Abergel. According to the In- dex Santé portal, emergency rooms at full-service hospitals in Quebec City were averaging 100.9 per cent capacity as of this writing; in the first week of January 2024, according to a La Presse report from the time, emergency rooms in the region were at 132 per cent of capac- ity. Other indicators across the province, Abergel said, were also creeping downward relative to where they were last January; the average wait time for a patient registered at an emergency room has dropped from 19.2 to just under 18 hours. Forty-eight of the 55 large hospitals in the province (with 100 beds or more) have seen some improvements in ER wait times, Santé Québec data suggested. “Overall, we have seen improvements even though we still have some challenges,” said Abergel, adding that the agency planned to provide weekly updates.

“We will keep working with establishments to improve things … and we have some busy weeks ahead. We want to accompany regional health agencies to help them find their own solutions. We’ve only [legally] existed for 41 days and we’re still putting everything in place.” However, he emphasized that he didn’t want to imply “that everything is going great.”

He said the agency had been working since last July to prepare for the winter rush, focus- ing on a better organization of care for patients who frequently end up in emergency rooms with poorly controlled chronic or mental health conditions, check-in calls to seniors 75 and older who are on the family doctor waiting list, and better co-ordinating the schedules of certain health professionals so patients can be discharged at any time of the week.

He said the agency would “stay on guard” over the next few weeks as flu season is expected to peak, but that initial indications were encouraging.

Abergel cited data showing that 44 per cent of emergency room visits were for conditions that could be treated else- where. “There are patients who have a family doctor and who come to the emergency room because they can’t reach their doctor – we’re going to find out why,” he said. “We need to understand the reasons why people go to the ER [in non- emergency situations].”

He encouraged people concerned about their health or the health of a loved one to call the Info-Santé 811 helpline. Calling 811 and pressing 3 leads to the Primary Care Access Point, where a nurse can help a patient who doesn’t have a family doctor book an appointment with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. “Obviously, if your condition requires it, you do need to go to the emergency room,” he said.

Province reports slight drop in ER wait times Read More »

Health ministry announces grace period for staff with two jobs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

Health ministry announces grace period for staff with two jobs

Ruby Pratka, LJI reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Ministry of Health and Social Services has put the brakes on a plan that would have required some health workers holding multiple jobs to pick just one and have their hours reduced as a result.

Dozens of health and social services facilities and regional centres across the province are in the process of merging into a single entity, Santé Québec. Workers cannot work a total of more than 40 hours a week for a single employer without getting paid overtime; as a result, employees with two or more jobs who work a total of more than 40 hours per week in the health system were told they could no longer do so. “As of Dec. 1, 2024, you will not be able to maintain an assignment or position in more than one establishment if the total hours of the assignments or positions per pay period exceed the equivalent of full time,” reads a letter dated Nov. 8, shared with the QCT by one of the affected employees.

About 1,300 employees across the province work multiple jobs totalling over 40 hours per week, many of them in relatively low-paid roles. As the QCT and other media outlets reported last week, the announcement was panic-inducing for people who rely on the extra income to pay down debt, raise children on their own or support family members overseas.

On Nov. 20, Santé Québec CEO Geneviève Biron announced that a one-year transition period would be put in place to allow “double- employed” workers to find solutions.

“We are grateful to these employees for their contribution and want to take the time to support them. In the context of a labour shortage and high demand for services, this transition period will al- low the employees concerned to continue their services to users and reduce the pressure on staff. Santé Québec will work with union partners to find accommodations,” Biron said in a statement. “I made a commitment to avoid wall- to-wall approaches. In recent days, I have heard the cri de coeur of several employees in a situation of double employment. I hope that we will take the time to support them and find solutions for the benefit of users and staff. In the coming months, Santé Québec will support the employees concerned to find solutions adapted to their situation while ensuring the safety of users and teams.”

Health ministry announces grace period for staff with two jobs Read More »

Workers to lose second jobs amid Santé Québec restructuring 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Workers to lose second jobs amid Santé Québec restructuring 

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Some employees in the public health system who work more than one job have been told they will have to choose just one as of Dec. 1, due to the Quebec government’s decision to create a single employer (Santé Québec) for the entire public health sector.

“As of Dec. 1, 2024, you will not be able to maintain an assignment or position in more than one establishment if the total hours of the assignments or positions per pay period exceed the equivalent of full time,” reads a letter dated Nov. 8, shared with the QCT by one of the affected employees. In practice, this means employees won’t be able to work over 40 hours a week across more than one health facility.

Laura* has held down two full-time jobs at two different Quebec City-area hospitals since 2019. “I work full-time Monday to Friday … and then at night I work at [another hospital],” she said. “I’m very used to it. … I want to work, but they’re telling me I can’t work two jobs.”

Lucie Gamache is the president of the Syndicat des Travailleuses et Travailleurs du CIUSSS de la Capitale- Nationale (STT-CIUSSSCN) which represents care aides, maintenance and supply shop workers and some administrative and technical staff across the institutions of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. She said about 130 of the union’s members are in situations similar to Laura’s. Most are in relatively low-paid roles.

“One employer … can’t give two positions for a total of more than 40 hours a week to one person,” she said. “It’s sad, but it’s the law, it’s the Labour Standards Act. Even if we tried to fight it, we can’t go against the law. It’s out of our hands.

“Unfortunately, that’s how fusions have always worked,” she added, alluding to the fusions of health institutions a decade ago that created the current CIUSSS system. “We understand it’s not fun – I wouldn’t be happy if it were me.”

Gamache said employees who want or need to work more hours can pick up extra hours replacing colleagues who are on leave. “We have such a lack of personnel that if [workers] apply for replacements, they’ll get hours,” she said. “We’re telling them not to worry about that.”

That was small consolation to Laura. “For me, it’s a big loss to lose one job,” she said. “I just got a new car, so I have to get another job to pay it off.”

She has considered taking her employer to court to try to keep both of her jobs, but decided against it. “I don’t have the income to pay for my immediate needs, and getting a lawyer will get me even more into debt,” she said. “I have my hands tied, and I can’t help anyone else if I can’t help myself.”

No one from the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale was able to comment at press time.

*The employee’s name has been changed to protect her privacy and job security.

Workers to lose second jobs amid Santé Québec restructuring  Read More »

Scroll to Top