It's a problem that's hitting the north east harder and faster than anywhere else in the province.

People are growing older and living longer and bed shortages at long-term care facilities are leaving more and more elderly patients to tie up hospital beds for longer and longer stays.

To help alleviate the problem, the province is committed to adding 30,000 long-term care beds over the next decade. 

Funding for some of those new beds in northern Ontario was announcement in Sudbury on Thursday by MPP Glenn Thibeault.

"We do have an aging population. We recognize that many of our hospitals have ALC patients in the hospitals with no place to go." said Thibeault.

220 new long- term care beds for the region are part of the first wave of a provincial commitment to add a total of 5,000 beds province-wide by 2022.

In Sault Ste. Marie will see 68 new beds added at Mauno Kaihla Koti and 20 at Extendicare for a total of 88.

Extendicare York in Sudbury will receive 54 new beds, Temiskaming Lodge in Haileybury gets 46, and

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority in Moosonee, which currently has no long-term care beds of its own, will get 32.

For the North East Local Health Integration Network, which manages provincial health care funding in our region, those beds can't come soon enough.

Jeremy Stevenson is the CEO of the north east LHIN.

"My goal is, working with our community and with our health service provider here, is how can we get these new homes up and running sooner and quicker?" said Stevenson.

The company that runs Extendicare York says it has bigger plans still, including two new state-of-the-art facilities.

Tim Lukenda is the President of Extendicare.

"This is really about elevating the environment and creating the kind of environment we all want for our moms and dads when they need long-term care services in their community." said Lukenda.

However, not everyone is convinced that this announcement is going to make much of a difference.

France Gelinas is the Nickel Belt MPP and parliamentary Health Critic.

"We have now over 1,134 people waiting for a long-term care bed in our area. They will be adding 54 beds, but do the math.” said Gelinas.

Others wonder if this money for new beds will still come even if the Wynne Liberals are defeated in the June election.   Thibeault says it’s a firm commitment.

The hope is that by adding more beds in facilities like this, it'll take some of the pressure off hospitals that are currently buckling under the strain of overcapacity and deficits.

For many seniors still on long waitlists for the long-term care they need, the clock is ticking.