NDP says it’s on track to deliver long-term care beds

Province expects to reach goal in 2019 as election looms

The NDP government says it is on track to fulfil one of its key election promises to create 2,000 longterm care and dementia beds, even as a long-awaited new strategy for building seniors care projects remains in limbo.

In a set of emailed responses to Postmedia News last week, Alberta Health officials said more than 1,600 of the 2,000 beds are being developed through the expiring Alberta Supportive Living Initiative (ASLI) that relies heavily on private and non-profit organizations.

Under that program — a strategy devised by the former Progressive Conservative government — the province provides up to 50 per cent of the construction costs to groups chosen to build and operate new facilities.

Shortly after entering office in 2015, the NDP government approved 25 more projects under the ASLI program, but then said it would begin looking at other options to fund facilities in the future.

Alberta Health said a large percentage of those final ASLI beds are expected to come online this year, which should provide welcome relief to a long-term care sector experiencing worsening wait times for spaces.

As well, hundreds more beds are being created through “adjustments and strategic use of existing space,” the ministry said. Such renovations are being funded in a variety of ways, including an unknown number of projects that are being entirely covered by private sources or charitable fundraising.

Added all together, Alberta Health said the 2,000-bed goal should be met sometime in 2019 — the year of the next provincial election.

The province’s latest capital budget included approximately $68 million to complete the ASLI projects already in progress and another $153 million over the next five years for additional continuing care spaces.

Alberta Health said more details on that bigger pot of money will be available in the coming months. It’s unclear if the funding will be connected to the NDP government’s promised new continuing care strategy.

Health Minister Sarah Hoffman told Postmedia in December the strategy was nearing completion and the plan was to favour publicsector providers such as Alberta Health Services over private organizations.

“For a long time, we saw the lion’s share be delivered through private companies,” Hoffman said at the time. “I think it’s time we look at some public delivery as well.”

But more than three months later, there is no indication the province will unveil the strategy any time soon.

That has created anxiety among providers who are unsure whether they should be trying to push ahead with new projects, said Tammy Leach, CEO of the Alberta Continuing Care Association.

“A number of them are ready to build and invest, but unless they build totally user-pay private (facilities), there is no structure, strategy or process,” said Leach, whose organization represents private, non-profit and faith-based continuing care operators.

Leach said the association is hoping the new strategy will continue to involve non-public providers as partners for building new facilities.

A decision to involve only AHS and its subsidiaries will put the government on the hook for more upfront costs at a time when the province is still recording big deficits, she said.

The Health Quality Council of Alberta has said its analyses show ownership type has made no difference in the quality of services offered to continuing care clients.