The Ford government is committing new funding to try to alleviate the overcrowding at Ontario’s hospitals.
In our region, it looks as if North Bay’s hospital will be one of the big beneficiaries of this new money.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says this new money is to increase the number of hospital beds ahead of flu season.
"We are taking immediate action to reduce the pressure on our emergency rooms. We're making an immediate emergency investment of $90-million." said Ford.
The province says the money will cover the cost of 1,100 hospital beds, including 640 new ones.
At Queen’s Park, Nickel Belt MPP and Health and Long-Term Care Critic France Gelinas wondered aloud if this new money will be anywhere near enough.
"Does the minister believe that $90-million shared between 150 hospitals will fix hallway medicine in Sudbury and prepare them to care for us when the flu season surge starts?” said Gelinas.
However, the new funding was welcomed at Health Sciences North in Sudbury where over capacity is a regular problem.
"We're at 110% and additional investments for surge beds, especially for flu season, will allow us to alleviate that pressure in the coming months." said HSN CEO Dominic Giroux.
Later, Nipissing MPP and Finance Minister Vic Fedeli elaborated on how the money will help his riding.
“This funding will be used for 26 beds. First, a 14-bed transitional care unit at North Bay Regional Health Centre, which consists of 10 beds for at-risk older adults and four short-term stay beds in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of North Bay.“ said Fedeli.
Premier Ford is also beginning to fulfill his promise of more long-term care beds across Ontario.
"Our government is investing in 6,000 new long-term care beds across Ontario." said Ford.
Health Sciences North is waiting to learn more details about how the new money will be divided among hospitals in Ontario, so it can better plan how to use its share.
