Red Cross contract may put 'most vulnerable' citizens at risk

Some of New Brunswicks most vulnerable citizens may be at risk because of a new contract between the provincial governmentand the Canadian Red Cross,according to a group representing occupational therapists.

The group says the decision to hire the Red Cross to supply equipmentsuch as wheelchairs to disabled NewBrunswickerscould compromise their safety.

The New Brunswick Association of Occupational Therapists (NBAOT) has written to Social Development Minister Cathy Rogers to warn her that the Red Cross is ill-equipped to do the work.

The department has agreed to meet the association next week, according to Ellen Snider, the NBAOT's executive director.

The Canadian Red Cross successfully bid to supply people with equipment under two departmental programs: the Convalescent/Rehabilitation Program and the Wheelchair/Seating Program. The request for proposals was issued earlier this year.

In the letter, the association says "a significant number of our members" have questions about the new contract.

Faye Cooper, a Saint John occupational therapist who raised the issue with the association, says many of her clients are "extremely vulnerable."

"Were talking about clients with severe physical disabilitiesand some of them have cognitive disabilities. These are the most vulnerable people in the province, no doubt about it," Cooper said.

Equipment concerns

The two Social Development programs provide equipment such as canes, raised toilet seats, grab bars, wheelchairs, and other pieces of equipment to people who cant otherwise afford them.

"We are alarmed by the possibility that our clients may receive equipment supplied and/or installed byundertrainedanduncertifiedstaff," says the letter, signed by Snider and association presidentKerrieLuck.

The organization wants a role in helping the department implement the new contract, which takes effect April 1. Snider said two representatives of the association attended meetings in the spring to draw up the criteria for the request for proposals and "they were essentially ignored."

"It is the OT working at the ground level every day with clients who understands what the details are," Snider told CBC News.

"Our concern is the government does not know what the government does not know, and as a result theyre making decisions that are only half-informed, despite our efforts to provide them with additional information."

She said "even with the best intentions," the Red Cross may not have the trained staff to ensure safety.

"Unfortunately, there are many documented cases of clients being injured, sometimes fatally so, as a result of defective equipment or installation of equipment," Luck and Snider write in the letter to the minister.

"Imagine an improperly installed grab bar pulling out of the wall when a client tries to stand; a ceiling track collapsing when a client is hoisted into the air to be transferred from bed to wheelchair; a client suffocating by becoming entrapped in the rails of a hospital bed that has been improperly set up."

Contracts expiring

Until now, a handful of private companies have supplied the equipment, but those contracts expire at the end of March2015.

Snider told CBC News the issue will become more important in the years to come as the provinces population gets older and "a wave ofagingNewBrunswickers"becomes disabled.

She said about 58,000 NewBrunswickershave disabilities that affect their mobility, though not are all eligible for these programs.

The problems identified by theNBAOTinclude:

• The items are considered medical devices, are regulated by Health Canada, and can only be sold by retailers with a special licence, the group says. The association is asking the province whether the Red Cross will use a subcontractor, and, if so, whether that subcontractor is qualified.
• Companies selling the equipment now are required by manufacturers to train their staff to set up and repair the equipment, honour warranties, and watch for recalls. But the training is only available to authorized vendors, another reason the NBAOT wants to know if the Red Cross plans to use an unauthorized subcontractor. The province may be legally liable "for a client who is injured or dies" using equipment from an unauthorized supplier, the letter says.
• There is an "alarming trend" of unauthorized vendors buying low-cost, used equipment. This can make it difficult to honour warranties or learn about recalls. "To whom will our clients go with concerns about faulty equipment?" the letter asks. "Who will honour the warranties?"
• Existing suppliers use certified equipment specialists, but if the Red Cross doesnt use an authorized supplier, occupational therapists themselves will have to spend more of their time researching equipment, contributing to delays in getting equipment to the people who need it.

Snider said such problems have already become apparent in British Columbia, where she says the provincial government adopted a similar approach. "Theyre not pulling this out of the air," she said of her members. "These concerns dont come from nowhere."

The Canadian Red Cross turned down an interview request from CBC News to discuss theNBAOTsconcerns.

Minimum requirements met

BillLawlor, the New Brunswick director for the Red Cross, said the organization met the minimum requirements of the request for proposals (RFP).

Beyond that, he said, he could not discuss the details because "non-disclosure is part of negotiating the contract."

He said the Red Cross has been supplying equipment to disabled people through its own programs for decades. "It was a natural reaction or fit for us to respond to thisRFP," he said.

It will also generate revenue for the non-profit organization to help fund its activities.

The Department of Social Development also said it would be "inappropriate" for Minister Cathy Rogers to comment while the contract is being negotiated.

Nichole Bowman, a department spokesperson, says in an emailed statement that the department"is committed to providing quality products and services to clients and strives to maximizeefficiencies, consistent with provincialprocurement legislation."

Bowmansays departmental staff evaluated the bids fairly, based notjust on pricing but on "all technical and service requirements" listed in the request for proposals.

"The department expects the winning vendor to meet or exceed current levels of service with no risk to clients and no impact on wait times," she said.

The agreement with the current service provider is in place until March 31, 2015.