Now we're on a different, depressing topic.

[conuly]

I am exhorted to do more than just write about this, but I have no idea what to do, or even how effective it might be. So I'm just writing and hoping this gets to the eyes of somebody who *does* know what to do, and has the wherewithal to actually do it.

Essentially, a woman in Ontario is on hunger strike until she gets adequate services - meaning nurses that follow her doctor's orders and who allow her to complain about bad service, not exactly an exorbitant request - and it seems like she may never get those services. As noted in the link, hunger strikes don't work unless the people in power actually care. And they don't seem to... especially if they can successfully spin this as a right to die issue, or "LOL, crazee ppl!" or whatever asinine justifications they can come up with.

Read the link. I won't try to further rephrase Amanda's words because, honestly, I don't think I can do so about this. And then... I don't know. Spread the news, but work on... what was it...

Don’t get bogged down in how sad you feel about what is happening. Don’t — if you can do anything more — just write about this. Don’t treat her death as the only inevitable conclusion in all this. Find a way to pressure the right people until Minna gets her services back, free of abuse/neglect and free of coercion to avoid reporting abuse/neglect.

That. Work on that. If you tell me what to do - whom to call, whom to email, whom to write to? - I'll do it. Believe me, I will. Newspapers, medical staff - fine. But I have very little idea about how to find that starting point (and then I have to work out what to say, another issue in and of itself).

The comments in the link have a few contacts, which I'm writing to now, as soon as I determine what to say.

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci
Constituency Office email: rbartolucci.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services email: rick.bartolucci@ontario.ca

Minister of Health & Long-Term Care David Caplan:
ccu.moh@ontario.ca

Not being Canadian, I have no way of knowing if these are the most effective people, but I'm sure if they're not they can direct me to those who *are*.

Comments

[ancarett]

She's in my town, actually and was a social work student at my U as well as a champion athlete even after she lost the use of her legs.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is whom we're all being told to contact. Our MPP, piece of crap that he is, passes the buck expertly. The Ministry of Health acknowledges paper letters but I don't know if they pay attention to email.

Our Minister of Health and Long Term Care is David Caplan. Contact info is as follows:
Caplan, Hon. David
Phone: 416-327-4300 Fax: 416-326-1571 URL: www.health.gov.on.ca
Address:
Hon. David Caplan
Minister - MINISTER'S OFFICE
Hepburn Block
10th Flr
80 Grosvenor St
Toronto ON M7A2C4

The newspaper is The Sudbury Star -- http://www.thesudburystar.com/Default.aspx

The most recent story about her plight (it's been front page news in the Star twice in the last two weeks, besides this) is here:
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1398624

Our local television news station is:
CTV Sudbury (CICI)
699 Frood Road
Sudbury, ON
P3C 5A3
Tel 705-674-8301
Fax 705-674-2789

[conuly]

I love you dearly.

[conuly]

Do you think a phone call to the Ministry of Health would work as well as a letter? I hate calling, but the mail might take too long.

[ancarett]

Yes, phone calls are logged. Emails are more easily ignored, but phone calls and "snail mail" do seem to get more attention. I've written letters to several government offices, now.

I'm trying to see if I can also register my worries and outrage with the local Community Care Access Centre. They also administer my two girls' care and therapy regime so I know some of the caseworkers who handle children's care, there. If I hear of any more useful contacts, though, I will definitely pass them on.

What really steams me is that we've spent the last two years building a lovely hospice overlooking a lake near the U and that she's not in there. Apparently because she's not expected to die RIGHT AWAY if given care, the hospice isn't for her! Grrrr!

[conuly]

Then I'll both email and call. The email may be ignored, but I think I come across better in writing than over the phone.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

If the nurses provided were not offering appropriate care and not following her doctor's instructions, a complaint could have been made to the doctor, to the College of Nurses, the Ministry of Health, to their management, etc. Even if the agency was intractable and the bureaucrats unresponsive, the doctor whose instructions were allegedly being ignored would be ethically if not legally required to do something, at the very least. This woman has both family and friends. She's apparently computer literate and accomplished. She could contact the cops or a lawyer or the Ontario Human Rights Commission Ombudsman since she's alleging all sorts of illegal activity. She clearly has choices. As a last resort, any resident of Ontario can go to any Ontario hospital, for free, and she states she had done so to get her feeding tube replaced; she could continue to do so. It's very expensive for the system, but if she can't get access to care any other way, she can do it.

I see no proof other than the word of the blogger you've linked to that this woman does not, in fact, want to die at this point. I fully support people's right to die on their own terms, even if it's over something as stupid as a legal dispute with a service provider. Secondly, I also have no proof other than her Youtube video allegations that the nurses were, in fact, incompetent or abusive, or that the centre wanted her to sign an illegal contract, so I cannot in good faith make a complaint about the agency providing the care -- the investigation presented appears to have been completely one-sided.

"especially if they can successfully spin this as a right to die issue, or 'LOL, crazee ppl!' or whatever asinine justifications they can come up with."

It's only "spin" if it isn't true. She apparently wants to be admitted to a hospice, how is it not about her wanting to die?

Minister of Health & Long-Term Care David Caplan is the right person at the Ministry.

As for the College, see http://www.cno.org/ih/complaints_intro.html:

If you are unsure of the quality or appropriateness of care a client has a right to expect from a nurse, you can contact the College and speak with an Investigator.

You can contact an Investigator by e-mail at Investigations-Intake@cnomail.org, or by phone at 416 928-0900 ext. 6988, or toll-free in Ontario at 1 800 387-5526.

If you wish to proceed with a complaint, you should send your detailed complaint in writing, e-mail, or on audio or video tape, to:

Executive Director
College of Nurses of Ontario
101 Davenport Road
Toronto, Ontario, M5R 3P1

E-mail: investigations-intake@cnomail.org

In your complaint:
state that you are making a complaint about nursing care;
provide the name(s) of the nurse(s) involved (if known);
state your specific concern and provide:
the date the incident occurred,
the time the incident occurred,
the exact location where the incident occurred (e.g., name of facility, nursing unit, room number),
the client's name,
as many details as possible about the incident; and
include your name, address, and telephone number so that an investigator can contact you.

And if you want to contact the Agency:

http://www.ccac-ont.ca/Content.aspx?EnterpriseID=13&LanguageID=1&MenuID=8

Our clients or someone acting on their behalf, have the right to report a complaint by mail or telephone.

Phone: 1-800-461-2919

Mail:
North East CCAC
Rainbow Centre
40 Elm St, Suite 41-C
Sudbury ON P3C 1S8


In addition to the CCAC complaints and appeal process, clients or their caregivers can also call the Long-Term Care ACTION Line with any concerns or complaints about home care services and/or the CCAC. More information is available in the Long-Term Care ACTION Line flyer or the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Fact Sheet.

To access the Long-Term Care ACTION Line call: 1-866-876-7658 or TTY: 1-800-387-5559.

[conuly]

I tend to trust Amanda's assessment because, in the past, she's proven to be accurate and correct, so it seems likely to be another (depressingly) correct scenario. I might be mistaken, there might be some serious misunderstandings or even misrepresentations here, and I'd rather see that. But I usually believe that accurate sources stay accurate.

[ancarett]

She's in my town, actually and was a social work student at my U as well as a champion athlete even after she lost the use of her legs.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is whom we're all being told to contact. Our MPP, piece of crap that he is, passes the buck expertly. The Ministry of Health acknowledges paper letters but I don't know if they pay attention to email.

Our Minister of Health and Long Term Care is David Caplan. Contact info is as follows:
Caplan, Hon. David
Phone: 416-327-4300 Fax: 416-326-1571 URL: www.health.gov.on.ca
Address:
Hon. David Caplan
Minister - MINISTER'S OFFICE
Hepburn Block
10th Flr
80 Grosvenor St
Toronto ON M7A2C4

The newspaper is The Sudbury Star -- http://www.thesudburystar.com/Default.aspx

The most recent story about her plight (it's been front page news in the Star twice in the last two weeks, besides this) is here:
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1398624

Our local television news station is:
CTV Sudbury (CICI)
699 Frood Road
Sudbury, ON
P3C 5A3
Tel 705-674-8301
Fax 705-674-2789

[conuly]

I love you dearly.

[conuly]

Do you think a phone call to the Ministry of Health would work as well as a letter? I hate calling, but the mail might take too long.

[ancarett]

Yes, phone calls are logged. Emails are more easily ignored, but phone calls and "snail mail" do seem to get more attention. I've written letters to several government offices, now.

I'm trying to see if I can also register my worries and outrage with the local Community Care Access Centre. They also administer my two girls' care and therapy regime so I know some of the caseworkers who handle children's care, there. If I hear of any more useful contacts, though, I will definitely pass them on.

What really steams me is that we've spent the last two years building a lovely hospice overlooking a lake near the U and that she's not in there. Apparently because she's not expected to die RIGHT AWAY if given care, the hospice isn't for her! Grrrr!

[conuly]

Then I'll both email and call. The email may be ignored, but I think I come across better in writing than over the phone.

[caprinus.livejournal.com]

If the nurses provided were not offering appropriate care and not following her doctor's instructions, a complaint could have been made to the doctor, to the College of Nurses, the Ministry of Health, to their management, etc. Even if the agency was intractable and the bureaucrats unresponsive, the doctor whose instructions were allegedly being ignored would be ethically if not legally required to do something, at the very least. This woman has both family and friends. She's apparently computer literate and accomplished. She could contact the cops or a lawyer or the Ontario Human Rights Commission Ombudsman since she's alleging all sorts of illegal activity. She clearly has choices. As a last resort, any resident of Ontario can go to any Ontario hospital, for free, and she states she had done so to get her feeding tube replaced; she could continue to do so. It's very expensive for the system, but if she can't get access to care any other way, she can do it.

I see no proof other than the word of the blogger you've linked to that this woman does not, in fact, want to die at this point. I fully support people's right to die on their own terms, even if it's over something as stupid as a legal dispute with a service provider. Secondly, I also have no proof other than her Youtube video allegations that the nurses were, in fact, incompetent or abusive, or that the centre wanted her to sign an illegal contract, so I cannot in good faith make a complaint about the agency providing the care -- the investigation presented appears to have been completely one-sided.

"especially if they can successfully spin this as a right to die issue, or 'LOL, crazee ppl!' or whatever asinine justifications they can come up with."

It's only "spin" if it isn't true. She apparently wants to be admitted to a hospice, how is it not about her wanting to die?

Minister of Health & Long-Term Care David Caplan is the right person at the Ministry.

As for the College, see http://www.cno.org/ih/complaints_intro.html:

If you are unsure of the quality or appropriateness of care a client has a right to expect from a nurse, you can contact the College and speak with an Investigator.

You can contact an Investigator by e-mail at Investigations-Intake@cnomail.org, or by phone at 416 928-0900 ext. 6988, or toll-free in Ontario at 1 800 387-5526.

If you wish to proceed with a complaint, you should send your detailed complaint in writing, e-mail, or on audio or video tape, to:

Executive Director
College of Nurses of Ontario
101 Davenport Road
Toronto, Ontario, M5R 3P1

E-mail: investigations-intake@cnomail.org

In your complaint:
state that you are making a complaint about nursing care;
provide the name(s) of the nurse(s) involved (if known);
state your specific concern and provide:
the date the incident occurred,
the time the incident occurred,
the exact location where the incident occurred (e.g., name of facility, nursing unit, room number),
the client's name,
as many details as possible about the incident; and
include your name, address, and telephone number so that an investigator can contact you.

And if you want to contact the Agency:

http://www.ccac-ont.ca/Content.aspx?EnterpriseID=13&LanguageID=1&MenuID=8

Our clients or someone acting on their behalf, have the right to report a complaint by mail or telephone.

Phone: 1-800-461-2919

Mail:
North East CCAC
Rainbow Centre
40 Elm St, Suite 41-C
Sudbury ON P3C 1S8


In addition to the CCAC complaints and appeal process, clients or their caregivers can also call the Long-Term Care ACTION Line with any concerns or complaints about home care services and/or the CCAC. More information is available in the Long-Term Care ACTION Line flyer or the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Fact Sheet.

To access the Long-Term Care ACTION Line call: 1-866-876-7658 or TTY: 1-800-387-5559.

[conuly]

I tend to trust Amanda's assessment because, in the past, she's proven to be accurate and correct, so it seems likely to be another (depressingly) correct scenario. I might be mistaken, there might be some serious misunderstandings or even misrepresentations here, and I'd rather see that. But I usually believe that accurate sources stay accurate.