News

Modernizing Health Care Infrastructure to Support Safe and High-Quality Care for Patients

 NEWS                                                              October 12, 2021

The Ontario government is investing $130,000 to support critical health care infrastructure upgrades at Haliburton Highlands Health Services. This funding is part of the government’s $182.6 million investment provided through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund. It will ensure that patients can continue to access the care they need in safe, comfortable environments and that the local health care system is prepared to respond to any scenario as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.

Today’s investment will fund the replacement of the existing automatic accessible main doors. The doors have been in operation for over 20 years and have exceeded their life expectancy. As a result, repairs are becoming more frequent, while at the same time parts are becoming more difficult to source as the doors and parts are becoming obsolete. The doors operate frequently every day and need to be reliable to promote both accessibility and security.

“Throughout the pandemic, our local hospitals have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional care to patients and families in Haliburton County,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “This new funding will help improve operations and support capacity building to ensure residents of Haliburton and surrounding areas have access to quality health care services.”

“This funding allows us to replace the well-used main entrance at our Haliburton site, supporting both security and accessibility,” said Carolyn Plummer, President and CEO of Haliburton Highlands Health Services. “We appreciate the support of the Ministry of Health in our ongoing efforts to maintain our facilities.”

In addition to this new funding, Haliburton Highlands Health Services also received a 2% increase to their estimated base and one-time funding for 2020-21. The Ontario government is taking further action to end hallway health care and address the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing investments in hospitals across the province for the third straight year in a row.

The government is providing $175 million to hospitals through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and $7.6 million to community health service providers through the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund. Funding from the province allows its health care system partners to address urgent infrastructure renewal needs such as upgrades or replacements of roofs, windows, security systems, fire alarms and back-up generators. A total of $50 million from the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund will be used by hospitals for urgent projects, including those that support the health system response to COVID-19, such as upgrading HVAC systems to enhance patient and staff safety, and improving infection prevention and control measures.

“Upgrading and maintaining hospitals and community health infrastructure is one more way our government is ensuring Ontarians receive the exceptional care when they need it and closer to home,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “These crucial investments will help build the capacity needed to end hallway health care, while ensuring our hospitals have the tools they need to improve the quality of care for patients and continue responding to COVID-19.”

The government continues to make record investments to support world-class hospitals across the province and ensure the health care system is prepared to respond to any scenario. In March 2021, the government committed up to $696.6 million in funding to help cover historic working funds deficits and strengthen the financial stability of hospitals across the province.

Through the 2021 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protecting People's Health and Our Economy, the government is providing a total of $1.8 billion in additional investments to hospitals in 2021-22. This includes funding to create more than 3,100 additional hospital beds to increase capacity, as well as an increase of $778 million in operational funding to ensure all publicly funded hospitals will receive a minimum 1 per cent increase to help them keep pace with patient needs and to increase access to high-quality care for patients and families across Ontario.

QUICK FACTS

• Haliburton Highlands Health Services received $1.329 million in funding in 2020-21 through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and the Local Health Integration Network for critical infrastructure upgrades.
• Community health facilities are publicly funded and provide a range of programs to patients across the province, including primary care, community mental health and addictions services, allied health care such as physical therapy and respiratory therapy, and programs and services delivered by a public health unit.
• The government is providing $175 million to hospitals through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and $7.6 million to community health service providers through the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund.

• For 2021-22, Ontario has increased the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund by three per cent.

• The government is investing more than $22 billion in capital grants over the next 10 years for health infrastructure projects across Ontario that will lead to $30 billion in health infrastructure.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 

• Ontario Investing in Health Care Infrastructure Upgrades and Repairs
• Ontario Supporting Hospitals with Additional Funding During COVID-19
• Improving Health Care in Ontario
• Hallway Health Care: A System Under Strain
• Visit Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine web page to view the latest provincial data and information on COVID-19 vaccines.
• Visit Ontario’s COVID-19 information website to learn more about how the province continues to protect the people of Ontario from the virus.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Kailie Oortwyn

Office of Laurie Scott, MPP

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock

kailie.oortwyn@pc.ola.org

416-819-6147