Province providing additional funding for health care

REGIONAL – The Ontario government is taking further action to end hallway health care and address the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing investments in hospitals across the province for the third straight year.

Rick Nicholls, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington, announced on July 29 that hospitals in the Windsor region and Chatham-Kent will receive additional operating funding beginning in 2021/22:

• Erie Shores Health- Care will receive an additional $1,504,500, which represents a 4.4% increase to the estimated base and one-time funding of $34,073,837 received in 2020/21.

• The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, with campuses in Chatham and Wallaceburg, will receive an additional $3,201,800, which represents a 2.6% increase to the estimated base and one-time funding of $121,799,909 received in 2020/21.

• Windsor Regional Hospital will receive an additional $7,848,700, which represents a 2.2% increase to the estimated base and one-time funding of $355,449,414 received in 2020/21.

• Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare will receive an additional $1,566,500, which represents a 2.1% increase to the estimated base and one-time funding of $75,352,129 received in 2020/21.

“It is clear, now that we are on our way out of this pandemic, that local hospitals and staff have gone above and beyond to provide us with exceptional care to the in-need patients and families,” said Rick Nicholls, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington. “Investments in our health care system today not only help the recovery process of COVID-19 but will also better prepare us for any future emergencies.”

“We are very appreciative of the support we have received from the provincial government. Over the past year, Erie Shores HealthCare implemented a series of cost-saving initiatives which allowed the hospital to finish 2020-21 with a balanced budget,” said Kristin Kennedy, CEO for Erie Shores HealthCare. “This new funding is critical for the hospital and our communities. Erie Shores can now begin exploring ways to support patient care through reinvestment in programs and services at the hospital.”

Additional support for Ontario’s hospitals as part of Ontario’s Action Plan includes $760 million to help hospitals continue to respond to COVID‐19 and an additional $300 million to reduce surgical backlogs.