Breast Cancer Sisters Information-ER

Extend EI coverage for Canadians with a Serious Illness

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:28:09 +0000

Here is a group to join, and become a cog in the wheel of change. Extend EI Sickness Benefits

EI 15 weeks Reply

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:50:51 +0000

Well I received a reply back from the letter I wrote to the Honourable Diane Finley regarding the inadequate EI coverage for cancer patients. Here it is for all to see, and please keep writing them. Let me know in the Guestbook if you would like the email address to write to Bill James.

June 7, 2006

Dear Ms. ******:

On behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, I am pleased to respond to your electronic message of April 14, 2006, concerning Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits.

I appreciate the circumstances that prompted you to write. Please be assured that Human Resources and Social Development Canada is committed to serving all Canadians fairly and appropriately. For this reason, the department appreciates the views received from concerned Canadians on ways to improve the El program.

I wish to explain that the El program was originally intended solely as a means of financial support for eligible Canadian workers who were temporarily unemployed and looking for work. Coverage was expanded in 1971 to include the payment of short-term sickness benefits to all those unable to work due to illness or injury. EI sickness benefits are meant to compliment longer-term disability benefits available through other programs like the Canada Pension Plan.

The 15-week maximum allowable duration for EI sickness benefits was determined based on discussions with representatives of the medical profession, and on an examination of the availability of sickness benefits in the private sector and other countries. It is important to note that the provision of sickness and disability income and related programs is provided through a mix of federal, provincial, private and non-governmental programs aimed at a balanced and responsive approach to people?s needs.

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that the EI program is responsive to the needs of Canadians. To this end, the yearly EI Monitoring and Assessment Report looks at how well various aspects of the program are serving the purpose for which they are designed, along with the overall effect on the labour market. This report revealed that the average duration of sickness benefits drawn in 2004-2005 remained stable at 9.5 weeks, or 63 percent of the maximum entitlement, which suggests that the 15-week maximum is sufficient for the majority of claimants. Similar findings from a recent study on sick leave were published by Statistics Canada on April 21, 2006, in Perspectives on Labour and Income, volume 7, number 4. These findings indicated that since 1993, the average duration of long-term absences has remained at 10 weeks for personal illness or disability.

In your correspondence, you compare EI sickness benefits to EI parental benefits. I wish to clarify that maternity, parental and sickness benefits are designed to meet different needs. The maximum allowable benefits period is specific to each EI benefit type and is based on the assessment of that claimant type. Maternity benefits are payable for the physical needs of the mother surrounding child birth. Parental benefits are also distinct, as benefits are payable to biological and adoptive parents for the purpose of remaining home to take care of a newly born or adopted child.

Please be assured that the concerns you raise are important and provide valuable input in our ongoing monitoring and assessment of the effects of the EI program on Canadians.

I hope that this information is helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write concerning this vital issue.

Yours sincerely,

Bill James
Director General
Employment Insurance Policy
Employment Programs Policy and Design
Human Resources and Social Development Canada

Her Story 2006

Wed, 17 May 2006 05:13:26 +0000

Tonight I had the pleasure and honour in meeting two lovely young ladies Megan & Alison, who are biking across Canada to collect breast cancer stories, poems, artwork etc. The two young ladies are hoping HerStory- a project that will connect Canadian women and their families who have been impacted by breast cancer. Please visit their site and you can Blog them or email them with your stories, www.herstory2006.com

Alison & Megan, you both rock!!! and I am certian that your mothers and families are so very proud of both of you.

Let me know if you connect up with these two inspirational women.

Hugs

Barb

Directory of Health Blogs

Canadian Breast Cancer Patient Charter

Thu, 11 May 2006 04:04:24 +0000

A good friend of mine has been part of a group that created the Canadian Breast Cancer Patient Charter.

This charter validates what we all need and deserve as breast cancer patients through our treatment. I am a strong believer that information is power, and that we all need to be our own helath care advocates. Please post your thoughts or opinions on this new Canadian Breast Cancer Patient Charter, and thank you for stopping by to read this.

Canadian Breast Cancer

Patient

Charter

Principles of Care Delivery for Breast Cancer Patients in Canada

Recognizing that the Canada Health Act guarantees Canadians the right to universal, high-quality medical care delivered in a timely manner, as Canadians, we need to ensure that all breast cancer patients have access to:

? Timely and appropriate care by a healthcare team;

? Optimum standard of care and best practices, including prevention, screening, diagnosis, surgery, treatment, support, follow-up, reconstruction and palliative care;

? Comprehensive information and data about the best evidenced-based treatments and the optimum standard of care appropriate to each diagnosis;

? Psychological, spiritual and emotional support (often called ?psychosocial services?) and related information for patients, families and caregivers, including specialized services of psychologists, social workers, and oncology nurses;

? Nationally certified, high-quality screening, diagnostic and treatment equipment operated by accredited professionals;

? Treatment in a suitably equipped and organized practice, hospital or cancer centre;

? Comprehensive coverage of medical costs through Medicare, and where costs are not covered, information on financial assistance.

As a breast cancer patient, you have the right to:

? Make your own informed treatment decisions (including the right to pursue alternative or complementary therapies or refuse treatment);

? Define quality of life in your own terms;

? Be fully informed of all treatment options and data about best evidence-based treatments, even if they are not available where you are being treated;

? Information and educational material about treatment and available services;

? Receive information about follow-up care, and regular follow-up visits with healthcare professionals to monitor progress and discuss treatment needs;

? Be informed of the resources available to assist you with the financial implications and costs associated with your diagnosis;

? Receive information about clinical trials for which you are eligible;

? Refuse to participate in clinical trials without prejudice to your treatment;

? Privacy, confidentiality and personal data protection;

? Review your medical records;

? Obtain a second opinion to provide confidence in your diagnosis and treatment;

? Lodge a complaint;

? Freedom from discrimination because of a cancer diagnosis;

? Be treated by a qualified, interdisciplinary healthcare team that:

? Communicates in simple, clear and understandable language;

? Provides translation services if your first language is not spoken by healthcare team members;

? Provides sensitive, empathetic treatment;

? Respects your cultural, religious and sexual orientation;

? Modifies procedures to minimize potential harm.

15 Weeks EI for Cancer Patients is Inadequate!

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 01:23:31 +0000

Please feel free to copy and adapt this letter for yourselves to use.

Please email to : Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development

Finley.D@parl.gc.ca

Dear Honourable Diane Finley:

I am writing to as a a Young Breast Cancer Survivor that was diagnosed in October 2003 at the age of 41, and my experience showed me the inadequacies in our Canadian National EI Program.

As a women in the prime of my working years, I soon found out how biased our EI system is for people with life threatening illnesses, including cancer.

The current EI system requirements and length of coverage help those families that can "save & plan " to start a family, and then have up to 1 year parental benefits to look after and provide for their child, or for those people that are healthy enough to actively go out looking for a new job.

A person with an illness is entitled to a maximum of 15 weeks EI benefits under the current system.

This amount is ridiculously inadequate and does not even begin to cover the length of time a cancer patient must take time off of work, to complete all treatment.

Compound a cancer diagnosis with the facts of living in a rural community where you have to travel to a major centre for chemotherapy every 2 weeks or 3 weeks for the next 5 months and then face another 5 weeks of radiation treatment if you are a breast cancer patient at one of a few Canadian Cancer Radiation facilities.

A person cannot think of working through a time like this. Add to an already financial and emotionally stressed situation is the fact that you must pay out of pocket for travel expenses and away from home lodging and then you are told that 15 weeks coverage is all that they will receive from EI coverage.

CPP will not even consider a Cancer patient for coverage if there is any "positive hope" implied by the physician that the cancer patient will be able to return to work. Every cancer patient wants to return to back to work if at all possible.
I am asking that the EI coverage criteria and length of coverage be looked at and a "serious illness " or a "cancer diagnosis" clause be put in place so that patients can face their treatment with a little extra piece of mind, that they will be covered for up to 1 year.

I am asking that the same coverage and consideration that is extended to parental leave be given to a cancer patient, to look after ones self, as long as they are currently receiving chemotherapy, surgery and or radiation treatment.

I thank you for your time and consideration in this extremely important matter.

Regards

Young Women with Breast Cancer

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 20:32:50 +0000

Young women are being diagnosed with breast cancer.
There doesn't have to be a family history to be diagnosed with breast cancer young.
The reality is, upwards around 85% of breast cancers diagnosed have NO family history.
The risk factor is simple, having breasts puts you at risk.

I have returned from a great meeting I attended in Vancouver B.C. last weekend.

We are a group that is identifying the needs of Young Women with Breast Cancer, and taking this a step further to create a comprehensive website of information,support and resources.

I was 41 when I was diagnosed, young by Breast Cancer standards, but not as young as some women. Not only are young women diagnosed but they are in the midst of their careers,starting or have not even had a chance to start a family. The issues are too numerous to detail, but just imagine yourself diagnosed at 26 years of age while pregnant or a toddler or 2 in tow. I think one begins to see where the lack of support,information and resources are.

I am ER negative, this in itself is an isolating diagnosis as many women are ER positive and have the access to drugs like Tamoxifen and Arimidex. Breast Cancer has so many issues and faces in it, and maybe this is why we see and hear so much about the Breast Cancer in general.

There are issues of childcare while going through treatment,decisions on mastectomies or not, then reconstruction decisions and options. Once done with those issues, young women then deal with fertitlty and estrogen levels. I do think we need more awareness into Breast Cancer and Young Women.

Take the opportunities that present themselves to you every day to educate those around us.

Please feel free to add in your comments.

National Cancer Strategy Announced!!!!

Sun, 05 Mar 2006 05:21:52 +0000

I am thrilled to have received an email from a friend announcing that the Federal Gov't will be implementing a National Cancer Strategy over the next 5 years at $50 million/year for a total of $250 million dollars.

If you are asking what is this?

Please visit the following link :

http://www.cancerforum.ca/eng/faqs.html

Press Release:

http://www.cancerforum.ca/eng/forum.html

January 14,2006

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 00:39:15 +0000

Happy New Year to all!!

I have been busy these last few weeks, adjusting the pages here, and also writing to our local candiates in the upcomping federal elections here in Canada.

I am posting what I received from the CBCN, and I urge as many as possible to take all 5 questions, or even just 1 and send to your local candiates:

Let's work together to make access to breast cancer information, support

and treatment a Federal election issue!

To find your candidate by party, go to the following websites:

Bloc qu?b?cois : http://www.blocquebecois.org/fr/videomaton_2005_liste.asp

Conservative Party of Canada: http://www.conservative.ca

Parti conservateur du Canada :

http://www.conservative.ca/?section_id=&language_id=2

Green Party of Canada/Parti vert du Canada :

http://ridings.greenparty.ca/article325.html

Liberal Party of Canada: http://www.liberal.ca/candidates_e.aspx

Parti lib?ral du Canada : http://www.liberal.ca/candidates_f.aspx

New Democratic Party of Canada / Nouveau parti d?mocratique du Canada :

http://www.ndp.ca/myriding/lookup

Elections Canada/?lections Canada : http://www.elections.ca/

As you know, over 21,000 Canadians are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, including 68 women and men in every Federal riding in the

country! This life-threatening illness affects entire communities,

especially families, friends and co-workers.

During the 2004 election issue, CBCN asked three questions and received

responses from the five major parties and over one hundred candidates. CBCN then disseminated media releases about these responses and posted this information on our website.

This year, CBCN's Federal Election Campaign consists of five questions.

Please consider helping with this campaign to ensure that every candidate

is aware of issues facing those diagnosed and living with breast cancer and

their families.

CBCN's Questions

Question 1: Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits

In 2004, The Canadian Breast Cancer Network conducted a survey on the

financial costs of having breast cancer. When asked whether 15 weeks of

Employment Insurance benefits were enough to get them through treatment,

75% of the 500 respondents said they were not long enough. Note that 76% of

respondents reported being off work for over 15 weeks.

If elected, will your government:

A) Immediately direct the Canada Employment Insurance Commission to ensure

that the section of the EI Monitoring and Assessment Report on EI special

benefit claims duration is broken down by illness?

B) Use the resulting information on benefit claims duration by illness to

lengthen sickness benefits for Canadians undergoing treatment for breast

and other cancers as well as other illness that require long periods of

treatment so that no one who is ill is penalized by the current limit of 15

weeks of sickness benefits?

C) Cancel the two-week waiting period for EI Sickness Benefits so that sick

Canadians are not penalized?

D) When will your government institute these changes?

Question 2: Federal Funding for the Breast Cancer Networks in Canada

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network and the provincial and territorial

breast cancer networks have been funded through the Community Capacity

Building (CCB) program of the Canadian Breast Cancer Initiative (CBCI)

since 1998-1999. The objectives of the Community Capacity Building program

are to enable networks to act/intervene at the level of communities; to

create improved conditions which allow people to access breast cancer

information and support; and to focus on network development and community

dynamics rather than individual behavior/outcomes.

However, the networks have been historically underfunded, with the entire

annual amount of funding for the entire country at $623,000. This amount

has not been increased or adjusted for inflation since the program's creation.

In 2004, the provincial and territorial networks and the Canadian Breast

Cancer Network were offered four-year funding, but with a 25% cut in

funding each year of the last three years of the funding period. By 2008,

the entire annual amount of funding for capacity building and increasing

access to information and support services to the 21,000 women

newly-diagnosed with breast cancer each year and the tens of thousands of

women living with a breast cancer diagnosis in Canada will be just

$263,829, despite the expectation of a huge jump in cancer rates as our

population increases and ages.

If elected, will your government:

A) Immediately cancel the 25% cuts in funding?

B) In consultation with the networks, immediately develop a mechanism to

enable meaningful participation of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network and

the provincial/territorial breast cancer networks in determining adequate

funding levels for their grassroots capacity building activities?

C) Immediately upwardly adjust funding to the provincial/territorial breast

cancer networks and the Canadian Breast Cancer Network?

D) Ensure that there is permanent, dedicated funding to the Canadian Breast

Cancer Initiative (CBCI)?

E) Ensure that there is permanent dedicated funding to the Community

Capacity Building program under which the Canadian Breast Cancer Network

and the provincial/territorial breast cancer networks are funded to provide

capacity building at a grassroots level?

Question 3: Wait Times

Wait times for the diagnosis and treatment of breast and other cancers

continue to lengthen in the following areas:

- The wait time from an abnormal screen to the diagnosis of breast cancer

- The wait time from the diagnosis of breast cancer to surgery and treatment

- The wait time for approval of new drugs, which involves at least two

issues: 1) the financial cost of drugs to patients and 2) the long drug

approval process that may prevent patients in treatment from receiving the

most appropriate drug treatment

If elected, how will your government:

A) Ensure that wait times are decreased across the country to meet national

best practice guidelines for acceptable wait times from an abnormal screen

to the diagnosis of breast cancer and from the diagnosis of breast cancer

to surgery and treatment?

B) Ensure faster approval of new drugs?

C) Ensure that women and men diagnosed with breast and other cancers who do

not have private drug coverage will still be able to have no- or low-cost

access to the drugs required in the treatment of breast and other cancers?

Question 4: Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network has been involved in efforts to create

the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control from the beginning. The Strategy

was developed by the cancer community in response to the increasing number

of new cancer cases in Canada. If this trend continues over the next 30

years, the Canadian Cancer Society estimates that almost 6 million

Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer; about 3 million will die from

cancer; direct cancer healthcare costs will be more than $176 billion and

over $348 billion in tax revenues will be lost because of disability due to

cancer.

If your party is elected:

A) When will your government provide funding for the Canadian Strategy for

Cancer Control, a coordinated and comprehensive plan to fight cancer?

B) What is the amount of funding your government will commit over a five

year period to the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control?

C) What components of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control will be funded?

D) How will your government ensure that the voice of patients and cancer

survivors is heard and that patients and cancer survivors are full

participants at every level of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control?

E) How much funding per year will your government allot to patient groups?

F) What will the funding to patient groups be for?

Question 5: The Public Health Agency of Canada

According to its website, the creation of the Public Health Agency of

Canada "marked the beginning of a new collaboration with provinces and

territories on efforts to renew the public health system in Canada and

support a sustainable health care system."

"Focussed on more effective efforts to prevent chronic diseases, like

cancer and heart disease, prevent injuries and respond to public health

emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks, the Public Health Agency of

Canada works closely with provinces and territories to keep Canadians

healthy and help reduce pressures on the health care system."

If elected, will your government:

A) Ensure that funding allocated to the Public Health Agency of Canada

includes a significant, stable and dedicated amount of funding that is not

impacted by infectious diseases.

B) Ensure that there is a large amount of permanent, dedicated funding

within the Public Health Agency of Canada allocated to chronic diseases,

including cancer and breast cancer.

C) Ensure that there is a significant, permanent and dedicated funding

within the Public Health Agency of Canada allocated to the prevention of

chronic diseases, including cancer and breast cancer.

Resources

To find your candidate by party, go to the following websites:

Bloc qu?b?cois : http://www.blocquebecois.org/fr/videomaton_2005_liste.asp

Conservative Party of Canada: http://www.conservative.ca

Parti conservateur du Canada :

http://www.conservative.ca/?section_id=&language_id=2

Green Party of Canada/Parti vert du Canada :

http://ridings.greenparty.ca/article325.html

Liberal Party of Canada: http://www.liberal.ca/candidates_e.aspx

Parti lib?ral du Canada : http://www.liberal.ca/candidates_f.aspx

New Democratic Party of Canada / Nouveau parti d?mocratique du Canada :

http://www.ndp.ca/myriding/lookup

Elections Canada/?lections Canada : http://www.elections.ca/

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER!

Hugs to all

Barb

December 24,2005

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 19:38:44 +0000

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating!!!!!

Just a really short note to wish everyone the best through the holiday season, and to say thankyou for those that have had a positive impact on my life.

The short conversations,emails,cards,gifts,jokes,and general sharing of all of your lives with me, has made a tremendous impact.

Thank you for sharing your lives with me.

My daughter has just announced her engagement, so 2006 is already set to be a spectacular year!!

I wish you all health and happiness in whatever form is right for you. Remember the blessings of each day, and that there are always people to reach out to in your days of need.

With much love to all

Barb

December 13,2005

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 03:20:02 +0000

Well as you can all see, I am not a daily Blogger. I do welcome anyone to add to the Blogs here.

It may prove to become an interesting area for everyone.

I have added in a new page, and this is for wigs through treatment. I have added another site that is also for wigs and for some gorgeous suits,shoes,hats etc. I just about flipped when I saw how lovely these were.

I do link directly to these sites and I would appreciate you visiting them.

I personally ordered 4 wigs from Paula Young while I was going through treatment. There are some great looking extensions for non-treatment as well.

Hello Barb from Manitoba!! I am so pleased that you visited here.

Happy Holiday Shopping to all!!!!

Barb