THUNDER BAY – On Friday, MPP Kevin Holland announced the government of Ontario is investing more in the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program to better support children’s development and family wellbeing.
The government will invest an additional $88,288 in the program.
“I'm happy to be here today at the health unit to announce an increase in yearly funding to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program of about $89,000. It brings the total yearly funding up to just under $1.385 million," Holland said.
“I had the opportunity to tour through last year with Minister Parsa. We toured the Healthy Baby Program and really impressed upon me the work that's being done, the importance of this service to our community and to the young families and making sure that our children are getting that healthy first start in life.
“To be able to increase the funding to help deliver the programs and meet the increased demand the health unit is experiencing is a really good opportunity for us,” he said.
Visits where Holland can show firsthand what is happening, directly relate to these funding increases, he said.
“It's the ability to have the ministers come into Thunder Bay and to bring them to the agencies where they can do a tour, engage with the service providers that are delivering services on the ground, to get that wholesome understanding as to what the circumstances and realities are of delivering services in Thunder Bay.
“I can't speak enough about the benefit that is had in my advocacy to ensure that Thunder Bay is receiving the funding at a level that they need. In the last two years since I was first elected, we're just under $700 million in funding that has come to Thunder Bay Atikokan riding alone.”
Holland said this shows a testament to the Ford government’s commitment to the north.
“As a government, we can't create one program and expect it to be delivered in the same way and work the same way across the whole province.
“Even in my own riding, the differences between communities can vary enough that the delivery of a program in one area has to be different in another area. By example to that is in Thunder Bay, urgent care and emergency care needs to be separated at different sites. In Atikokan, it makes more sense to have them delivered in the same site.
“That's a pretty basic example, but I think it highlights how in communities across the region, delivery of services needs to be to work for those communities and building in the flexibility.”
Rosemary Scofich, program manager Healthy Babies Healthy Children, said the program services families who may be expecting a baby, just had a baby or have children that are under the age of six.
“We work with families around identified goals that the families have worked with us around. They've let us know what they need, it's a voluntary program.
“We target health, growth and development and we coordinate services as well and we identify families needs. For example, access to primary care is a message that we hear a lot about.
“We work with our community partners and we try to address those needs. A great example would be - there was some recent funding from Ontario Health, and there is a new well baby clinic that's being offered by the Lakehead nurse practitioner clinic here in Thunder Bay. We work together and those families’ needs are met.”
Scofich is thankful for the increase in base funding.
“What it will allow me to do as a program manager, is I can hire a contract nurse which will help us to meet service deliverables. For example, we do have a small wait list, we can address those families waiting.
“And then, because of inflationary costs, we have had to cut from our budget in other areas. This will allow us to top up those areas that we previously cut from,” she said.
