THUNDER BAY -- Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) has increased the amount it charges cancer patients for staying at Tamarack House.
The daily rate has quadrupled, going from $25 to $100 as of January 1.
However, the hospital says the increase matches a recent improvement in the Ontario government's Northern Health Travel Grant.
Tamarack House is located on the top floor of a building adjacent to the hospital. It was built to provide accommodation for out-of-town cancer patients, and has facilities for 38 people.
Manager Trina Diner says the hospital started reviewing the rate schedule after the province announced it was raising coverage for lodging expenses from $100 to up to $550 for medical-related travel.
In lockstep with the travel grant, the new rate for patients at Tamarack House is $100 per night up to two nights, $250 for three nights, $500 for four to seven nights, and $550 for eight or more nights.
Diner said the hospital needs the additional revenue to cover the cost of operating the facility, and there "should be a nil impact on patients."
However, she speculated that there may be some individuals without access to adequate credit or cash to pay for their stay until the Ministry of Health reimburses them.
"The first travel grant reimbursement would probably take four to six weeks...and I can see how that might cause some stress," Diner said. In these cases, she said, hospital staff will work with a patient to ensure the issue of accommodation isn't a roadblock to treatment.
Tamarack House currently has a typical occupancy rate of 80 to 90 per cent, but not all the patients who stay there have come to Thunder Bay for radiation or chemotherapy treatment at the hospital.
Although cancer patients retain priority and comprise the majority of the users, Diner said "if we do have open rooms and we have other people from the region that need them, we would certainly want to bring them in if possible."
That policy change was made in late 2016, when the hospital said an occupancy rate of only 60 per cent was impacting its revenue and the financial viability of the lodge.
The strategy to increase occupancy also resulted in a partnership with Wequedong Lodge, to alleviate crowding at that facility.
In its announcement, the hospital noted that several lodges across Ontario similar to Tamarack House had been forced to close because of operating costs.
