The people from FEAT BC put a lot on the line with this tour. They invested money, sweat, credibility and time, including precious time away from their families, to make this trip across Canada and out to the East Coast to fuel a national effort to get autism covered by medicare. They did not come in to preach to the locals though. They came to talk and encourage all of us to get together and GET POLITICAL. If you are a Canadian parent seeking medical treatment for your autistic loved one NOW is the time to get involved. You can contact Jean Lewis via email at jean.lewis@telus.net. Or you can reach me at dohertylaw@rogers.com. NOW is the time not tomorrow.
If you are a member of a local or provincial autism group which receives government funding to operate they may discourage you from getting involved. Don't let them discourage you. Act for your child and get involved. Feel free to contact Jean Lewis or me. Other contacts will also be provided soon. Contact your Member of Parliament and ask him or her to support autism coverage in Medicare. Just call them, write them or email them and let them know that is what you want. There is no need to debate them unless you want to do so but they know the need and they know effective treatment is available. Make your MP or anyone seeking to become your MP know that your vote depends on them making a commitment to include autism treatment in medicare coverage. NOW is the time to get involved, and GET POLITICAL.
Group pushes for autism funding
B.C. organization wants Ottawa to set standard for treatment
By MELANIE PATTEN The Canadian Press
A British Columbia-based group pushing to have costly treatments for autistic children covered under medicare has brought its fight to the East Coast.
Representatives from Families for Early Autism Treatment of B.C. met with dozens of parents and their autistic children in Dartmouth as part of a cross-country tour.
The non-profit organization has been calling on Ottawa to work with provincial and territorial governments to set a national standard for autism treatment.
The group also wants intensive therapy, known as applied behaviour analysis, covered for all Canadian children regardless of where they live or their family’s income.
"This is a health-care issue; this is science-based, effective treatment," said Jean Lewis, a founding director of the group.
"It needs to be funded through health care so that it doesn’t matter if you live in British Columbia or Newfoundland, your health care is looked after in the same way as everyone else’s."
The treatment, which can include one-on-one time with a trained professional, can cost up to $60,000 a year.
Without a national standard, coverage for autism treatment differs across the country. In Prince Edward Island, for example, coverage is assessed by income.
"That’s not the way they deal with a cancer patient, that’s not the way they deal with a cardiac problem," said Shawn Murphy, the Liberal MP for Charlottetown. "And that’s not the way they should deal with this particular issue."
Murphy said Ottawa has agreed to meet with the provincial and territorial governments by the end of the year to create a strategy.
Both levels of government will have to pitch in funding for treatment, support and diagnosis, said Murphy, who was recognized by the association for his public support for a national autism framework.
New Brunswick Liberal MP Andy Scott, Nova Scotia New Democrat MP Peter Stoffer, and Liberal Senator Jim Munson, were also recognized.
Jeff Reeves of Charlottetown, whose five-year-old son Owen has autism, attended the event to push Ottawa to provide more funding for autistic children.
Reeves said his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. He said Owen finally began treatment after sitting on a waiting list for nearly 18 months.
"Owen is very intelligent, but it’s his social interaction . . . eye contact, how to play with kids correctly," said Reeves, 33, who is married and works in the IT industry.
"He’s made strides that we can’t believe . . . but if he would have gotten (treatment) at three, he could have been much further ahead."
Owen’s treatment costs more than $10,000 a year, and Reeves said the province covers about 60 per cent. The family also pays for supplemental treatment out-of-pocket.
"The federal government has to do something about the funding for (the treatment)," said Reeves.
"The earlier they intervene, the better off these kids will be.
"If they leave them until they’re 18, 20 years old, they’re going to become drains on the system."
Calgary Sun, May 27, 2007
B.C. autism group tours the nation
UPDATED: 2007-05-27 01:14:36 MST
Push for early treatment takes group to East Coast
By CP
DARTMOUTH, N.S. -- A B.C.-based group pushing to have costly treatments for autistic children covered under medicare took its fight to the East Coast yesterday.
Representatives from Families for Early Autism Treatment of B.C. met with dozens of parents and their autistic children in Dartmouth, N.S., as part of a cross-country tour.
The non-profit organization has been calling on Ottawa to work with provincial and territorial governments to set a national standard for autism treatment.
The group also wants intensive therapy, known as applied behaviour analysis, covered for all Canadian children regardless of where they live or their family's income.
"This is a health-care issue; this is science-based, effective treatment," said Jean Lewis, a founding director of the group.
"It needs to be funded through health care so that it doesn't matter if you live in British Columbia or Newfoundland, your health care is looked after in the same way as everyone else's."
The treatment, which can include one-on-one time with a trained professional, can cost up to $60,000 a year.
Without a national standard, coverage for autism treatment differs across the country.
In Prince Edward Island, for example, coverage is assessed by income.
"That's not the way they deal with a cancer patient, that's not the way they deal with a cardiac problem," said Shawn Murphy, the Liberal MP for Charlottetown. "And that's not the way they should deal with this issue."
Murphy said Ottawa has agreed to meet with the provincial and territorial governments by the end of the year to create a strategy.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/05/27/4211713-sun.html
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