THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is getting additional funding to help take it through the coming months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ontario government announced Monday it will give the hospital money to cover the cost of operating 30 more beds.
TBRHSC is currently funded for only 378 beds, but has had to find room for as many as 465 patients on occasion in the past.
The hospital is getting the largest share of $13 million announced by Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford for hospitals across northern Ontario, including in Kenora, Sudbury, Kirkland Lake, Moose Factory and Kapuskasing.
Lake of the Woods District Hospital will receive funding for 12 beds.
Funding was previously announced for hospitals in southern Ontario.
The government said the investment will help reduce surgical backlogs and improve access to care during the pandemic.
It wasn't immediately clear how long the funding will support the additional beds, but one source told Tbnewswatch it's expected to be until the end of March 2021.
Dr. Stewart Kennedy, TBRHSC's incident manager for COVID-19, welcomed the investment, saying "it allows us to prepare for a worst-case scenario."
Kennedy noted that the onset of the flu season also increases the need for patient beds.
"Our collective priority is to provide safe, quality care, close to home," he added.
