Diagnostics, addictions agencies tackle funding reductions

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This article was published 13/10/2017 (2974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DIAGNOSTIC Services Manitoba says its corporate office is on track to meet its provincially mandated savings target of $1 million — although, operationally, it is attempting to wrestle down a projected $6.3-million deficit.

Both DSM and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba received targets at the same time as CancerCare Manitoba and all regional health authorities. DSM’s corporate office was told to find $1 million in savings this fiscal year, while AFM was told to find $800,000.

DSM and AFM were also subjected to the province’s request that non-unionized management be cut by 15 per cent. For Diagnostic Services, that was achieved without any layoffs as a result of retirements and “planned vacancies.” At AFM, it meant cutting the director position, effective last June.

A spokeswoman for AFM says in addition to the layoff, it was able to preserve front-line services by freezing the chief executive officer’s salary and introducing a voluntary work-week reduction program. The organization received an overall funding increase this year of $985,500, which she says went partly to programs but also to salary increases as mandated by collective agreements.

Of the $1.6 million in additional funding Diagnostic Services received, a spokeswoman says $1.1 million was earmarked for its projected deficit, bringing it down to $5.2 million. The remainder went to programming.

— Jane Gerster