Ontario is taking further action to end hallway health care by making increased investments in the province’s hospitals.
Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson has announced more than $880,000 in additional funding for six hospitals in her riding including:
- Seaforth Community Hospital- $74,000
- Alexandra Marine and General Hospital- $175,000
- South Bruce Grey Health Centre- $327,000 (which includes Kincardine and Walkerton sites)
- South Huron Hospital Association- $77,000
- Wingham and District Hospital- $131,000
- Clinton Public Hospital- $100,000
- Grey Bruce Health Services- $6.1 million (which includes Southampton hospital)
“Access to rural health care close to home is vital to residents in our smaller communities,” Thompson said. “I am pleased to see the support the government is providing to local hospitals, which will help ensure they have the resources they need to meet today’s challenges.
“This new investment is another example of how Ontario is supporting high-quality and timely access to health care, while delivering on our commitment to end hallway health care.”
Across Ontario, the government is investing an additional $68 million to support small- and medium-sized hospitals. This new investment is on top of the $384 million more that Ontario’s hospitals received this year as part of the province’s 2019 budget.
“Ontario has a comprehensive plan to end hallway health care,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Working with our hospital partners, we are fixing long-standing issues with how hospitals are funded that disadvantaged small- and medium-sized hospitals. We have listened to patients, frontline staff and key stakeholders to determine how we can fix historical inequities to provide financial stability and relief to hospitals, regardless of their size.”
This funding includes a province-wide increase in funding of one per cent for 66 small-sized hospitals, 1.5 per cent for 23 medium-sized and multi-site hospitals and targeted funding to assist with unique situations and historical funding challenges.
Furthermore, Ontario will invest $27 billion over the next 10 years in hospital infrastructure projects across Ontario, including adding 3,000 new hospital beds.
