More changes are coming to health care in Winnipeg, the latest aimed at reducing the number of people who go straight from hospital to care homes.

On Wednesday, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority unveiled its new Priority Home program.

The service, which launches Nov. 1,  is meant to provide transitional home care to clients who might otherwise end up in long-term care.

Gina Trinidad, the WRHA’s chief health operations officer, said the program has two “key components”.

“It will provide short-term intensive and restorative service to eligible clients for up 90 days,” Trinidad said.

“It will also provide a rapid response nursing service, focusing on decreasing admission to hospitals and preventing avoidable hospital visits or emergency visits for individuals with medically-complex needs.”

The WRHA said that after that 90 days, many individuals should be able to stay in their homes with regular home care.

The health authority also said much of the work is being contracted out to two private companies, due to the program's roll-out timeline.  

Trinidad said that health care aide and support worker positions will be filled by private companies We Care health services and ParaMed, while positions like nurses, occupational therapists and rehab assistants will come from the existing WRHA pool. 

The Priority Home program is on top of existing core home care services, but WRHA interim president Réal Cloutier said those core services couldn’t currently meet the needs of Priority Home.

“I hear the pressure they’re under to meet the current demand. We couldn’t in all consciousness add another service on top of the challenge of meeting the current service demands,” Cloutier said.

Cloutier also said that core home care services would not be changed or face cuts. 

But the use of private companies is concerning to Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which represents thousands of Manitoba health care workers.

On Wednesday, Gawronsky said the mixed model is another step toward privatization. 

“This is work that’s been done by our members for the last 30 or 40 years,” Gawronsky said.

“So it’s not that this is anything new; it’s not an add on. They’re taking dollars that are going to go into a private company.”

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew expressed similar concerns about privatization, and said he’s worried the changes could affect the quality of care.

“Are there going to be lower standards? Is each person who delivers home care going to have to serve more elders, more seniors?” said Kinew.

$15.7 million will go into the Priority Home program, with $10.5 million going to private companies over a three year contract.

The WRHA said it plans to use the contract period to look at improvements to core home care services, with hopes to eventually provide the transitional care through its regular programming.