Two Niagara Region health facilities will receive part of the $175 million the Ontario government is investing in 129 hospitals across the province.
Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. Catharines will receive $1,461,959. Niagara Health, which serves the regional municipality of Niagara, will receive $1,454,532.
Christine Elliot, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, said it will be another way to ensure “Ontarians have access to health care services they can depend on, especially during these unprecedented times.”
“Our ongoing investment to support essential projects like repairing roofs and windows and adding more isolation spaces can make a difference to the patient’s experience. It’s part of our plan to build the capacity we need to end hallway health care in Ontario,” she added.
The investment will go towards supporting facility upgrades, services, health care providers, and more. It will ensure that hospitals are able to address urgent problems and concerns, both in a general sense and in relation to COVID-19.
The funding will go towards necessary upgrades and replacements such as replacement of roofs, windows, and security systems. In relation to COVID-19, funding can be used to update HVAC systems and to create more isolation space, to enhance safety, prevention, and control measures.
Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West said the funding “builds on our government’s support for patient and providers in Niagara.” He said the pandemic “has shown how important it is to maintain and upgrade our local hospitals.”
“We are pleased, with this investment, that the government is recognizing the integral role rehabilitation serves in reducing hallway health care…This infrastructure funding will greatly support the exemplary work of our staff and physicians in providing the positive patient outcomes we’re know for across Niagara,” said Lyne Pay, CEO of Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre.
Lynn Guerriero, President of Niagara Health, said: “It is important that our buildings continue to support the high-quality care that our teams are providing…in these unprecedented times, we are also working diligently to improve access to healthcare services outside of the hospital setting through technology and virtual care, so all patients receive the right care in the right place,” she said.
Learn more:
Ontario government news release
Niagara Health website
Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre website