THUNDER BAY – The provincial government has invested over $18 million to support staffing and operations at local healthcare organizations across Northwestern Ontario.
This funding will help to address the continual healthcare costs to aid facilities in supporting and retaining healthcare workers, improving critical service access and providing relief to urgent healthcare needs in rural communities and distinct challenges supporting diverse populations.
Kevin Holland, MPP of Thunder Bay – Atikokan, and Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, the president and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), made the announcement on Tuesday.
Holland said the funding is not only about addressing immediate financial pressures, but it's about building a ‘stronger, more resilient healthcare system for the long term.’
“I'm really happy to be grateful to be part of a government that recognizes and is making those historic investments again to make sure that we are well positioned for the delivery of healthcare now and into the future. I think this is going to be really monumental for the healthcare providers in moving forward in their planning stages,” said Holland.
The TBRHSC will receive over $14.8 million to address growing demands and strengthen its capacity to provide high-quality patient care.
“Thunder Bay Regional is, as I said, the flagship of healthcare providers in the region and to be able to put them on sound footing so that they are best positioned to continue to provide the quality health care they deliver is vital and it's really important to me to make sure that that message is being heard in Toronto and that we're delivering on that investment here in Northwestern Ontario,” said Holland.
These additional investments to the base funding for these cornerstone healthcare organizations will aid both their immediate needs and long-term improvements.
‘It is absolutely monumental, transformational and it is the stability that we needed as a health sciences centre moving forward,’ explained Crocker Ellacott.
“This is exactly what we needed to really begin to balance our operations and it's been something that we've been looking for, for a number of years and we're very thankful of the commitment of this government to be able to support us and create us in for a sustainable future as we move forward,” Crocker Ellacott added.
In all her years at the Health Sciences Centre, she said they've never seen this type of funding, nor have we been in such a great financial position.
It has been many years since they've not had a deficit position and they’ve been fortunate the ministry has given one time funding to take them out of those deficits, said Crocker Ellacott, but this is the first time they’re looking at ending the 24/25 year with a balanced position.
As the only regional tertiary acute care hospital in Northwestern Ontario, she said it's critically important they are stable to be able to reach out and support all of their partners. It is also equally important that their partners are funded proportionately.
“We need to be the fail safe. We need to be there for all of Northwestern Ontario because we want to be able to provide health care close to home or at home. So, this really enables us to be able to do that and foundationally build upon the great exceptional care that we're currently delivering,” said Crocker Ellacott.
While the majority of their health professions are doing incredibly well, especially in nursing, she said it doesn't mean they don't also have any needs and shortages.
“We're certainly doing more and we're much more stable, but when it comes to stability moving forward now that we can recruit into all of our vacancies and that we can be really be robust in our approach because we know that the funding is based and it's moving into the future and we can look at that from a sustainability perspective,” said Crocker Ellacott.
“We don't need to look at every program and decide what are the things that we need to do or what are the things that we potentially can postpone, do differently or create more efficiency or cut.”
The Atikokan Health and Community Services will receive $184,690 to enhance their ability to serve their residents in private.
St. Joseph’s Care Group will also receive $3,155,914, supporting specialized care for those in need.
