Fredericton – According to Green Party Leader David Coon, the majority of the $12.4 million New Brunswick has received from the Canada-New Brunswick Home and Community Care Funding Agreement will pay for transferring the Province’s extra mural program from the regional health authorities to the management of Medavie. 

“The federal home care money could have helped seniors with the daily routine of living on their own,” said Coon. “Instead, it’s going to pay for the unnecessary transfer of extra mural health services away from our regional health authorities to an unneeded private management system.”

During questioning at Estimates Committee in the Legislature late last week, the Minister of Health acknowledged that the $12.4M received from the federal government  to improve access to home and community care will be used for the following purposes:

• $4.7M for integrating Telecare 811, Extra Mural, and paramedics
• $1M for additional Extra Mural staff
• $4.2M for Extra Mural to implement electronic record-keeping
• $2.5M for palliative care

“This government keeps saying they want to help keep seniors in their homes and their communities longer with better home support, but these expenditures will do nothing to help seniors age in place,” said Coon.