Earlier this week, the provincial government announced it would be providing $116.5 million to create up to 766 more beds at 32 hospitals and alternate health facilities across the province.
Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop explained what that investment means to Orillia.
She said the province will be providing up to $2,718,000 to Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) for up to 20 total patient beds.
The goal of the funding is to help alleviate hospital capacity pressures and reduce wait times and surgical backlogs.
“A bed is such an important part of the hospital process for both staff and patients,” Dunlop said in a statement.
“This investment will help improve the ability for Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital to provide care for patients, even more so during such a difficult time as COVID-19, especially with the upcoming winter and flu season.”
This week’s funding is in addition to the $234.5 million investment for 139 critical-care beds and up to 1,349 hospital beds included in Ontario’s fall preparedness plan.
The new funding "will further strengthen our ability to meet the health needs of our community," said OSMH president and CEO Carmine Stumpo.
"This funding announcement supports the surge planning already underway at OSMH," he explained. "This includes maintaining current emergency services, addressing backlogs in scheduled surgical activity and creating new capacity for COVID and influenza surges this winter."
Stumpo said the $2.7 million in one-time funding, to March 31, 2021, "will support operating expenses such as additional staff and medical supplies.”
According to the media release from Dunlop, this brings the total investment to $351 million for more than 2,250 new beds at 57 hospitals and alternate health facilities across the province - beds that will add more capacity for hospitals, help with occupancy pressures and support the continuation of surgeries and procedures.
“Our government is making the necessary investments to quickly and effectively increase hospital capacity and reduce wait times for patients and families in Simcoe,” said Health Minister Christine Elliott.
“This additional investment will ensure our health-care system is able to respond to future waves of COVID-19 and help patients waiting for surgeries and other procedures get the care they need, faster.”
The government is providing $2.8 billion for the COVID-19 fall preparedness plan. It focuses on addressing surges in COVID-19 cases and reducing health service backlogs by:
- Extending hours for additional priority surgeries and diagnostic imaging;
- Helping up to 850 alternate level of care patients access proper care in a home or community setting to help free up hospital capacity;
- Expanding digital health and virtual services, which provide alternatives to in-person care that limit the transmission of COVID-19, while maintaining access to care;
- Improving access to mental health and addictions services and supports; and
- Increasing home and community care service by adding 484,000 nursing and therapy visits and 1.4 million personal support worker hours.
Ontario will release its 2020 budget and the next phase of Ontario’s Action Plan on Nov. 5.
