‘Desperate plea’ made to minister last year: agency

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2023 (831 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The agency that provides wheelchairs to Manitobans warned the health minister last year the program was being “financially starved” and wait times would keep getting longer, especially in rural areas.

“Rural and northern Manitobans receive inferior care — far from ‘health care closest to home’ and far from health equity,” former Manitoba Possible board chair Michel Chartrand wrote in a Jan. 24, 2022, letter to Health Minister Audrey Gordon.

Chartrand informed the minister the wheelchair program can’t fully function across the province, contrary to its mandate, because it hasn’t received a funding increase since 2011. During that time, the cost and demand for power wheelchairs, in particular, had increased.

“We respectfully request a funding increase for both the operating budget and the wheelchair purchase budget equal to the combined impacts of inflation, volume growth, and change in standard/power wheelchair mix. We would welcome the opportunity to work with the appropriate representatives (perhaps Shared Health) to find a truly provincewide service that is closest to home, is safe, and promotes health equity. All Manitobans deserve basic mobility,” Chartrand wrote.

Last week, in response to a Free Press inquiry related to a Winnipeg man’s wait for a new power wheelchair, a spokesperson for the provincial health department claimed Manitoba Health had not received a funding request from Manitoba Possible.

The January 2022 letter is just one example of Manitoba Possible’s efforts to secure more funding since 2012, CEO Lindsey Cooke said. The wheelchair program’s operating and equipment budgets come from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, out of provincial funds.

“After 10 years of meetings, projections, briefing notes, letters, we’re really no further ahead,” Cooke said Monday.

“We just are at a breaking point. There is nowhere left to cut. So, we really feel at a loss of what we can do to provide this critical service to Manitobans.”

Cooke said there will be further delays in getting wheelchairs to Manitobans, which could have wide-reaching consequences such as delayed discharges of hospital patients or wheelchair users being unable to go to work.

“I don’t want to sensationalize it, but this is really a crisis that we’re facing,” Cooke said.

The agency considered its January 2022 letter “a desperate plea” to the health minister, but has still not received a response, Cooke said.

The Free Press provided a copy of the letter and asked a department spokesperson to explain last week’s claim it hadn’t received a funding request.

On Monday, a Manitoba Health spokesperson simply reiterated the previous statement, this time without any mention of the funding request. The department didn’t answer when asked if Manitoba Possible’s funding would be reviewed for a potential increase.

“As part of the 2022/23 budget, we increased ongoing funding to Manitoba Possible by more than $550,000, and the annual budget for wheelchair funding this year is $1,138,655. This increase in funding supports expanded service capacity and reduces wait times in three areas, including the Provincial Outreach Therapy for Children, the Children’s Service Co-ordination, and the Communication Centre for Children.

“Our government is committed to working with non-governmental organizations, such as Manitoba Possible, to ensure Manitobans continue to receive the care they need,” the health department spokesperson stated.

Tom Landy spoke publicly last week about the bureaucratic three-year-plus wait he’s had to endure for a new power wheelchair. Although his new, custom wheelchair was approved in February 2022 and ordered earlier this year, he still hasn’t received it. As a result, his activities have been extremely limited.

Landy said he has basically only been able to go between a couch and his bedroom in his family home since 2019. Since speaking out, Landy said he’s been offered a new occupational therapist and agencies are working with him to make his current wheelchair more comfortable.

He still doesn’t know when he’ll get his new wheelchair.

“What Manitoban would be OK with someone not being able to leave their room for 3.5 years?” Cooke said. “It’s not acceptable. We need to provide a dignified experience for Manitoba wheelchair users, and every year, we’re getting further and further away from that, despite the commitment and the excellent work of the program (staff.)”

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com

Manitoba Possible letter to Audrey Gordon