Ontario adding new hospital beds in Kawartha Lakes
The Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay will be receiving more than $1.1 million in funding to help alleviate hospital capacity pressures and reduce wait times.
Over $900,000 of this investment will be used to fund a new 12-bed Geriatric Behaviour Reactivation Unit to stabilize patients while they wait to be transferred to long-term care.
The remainder of the funding will used towards an additional bed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“This funding will support us in providing safe and highly specialized care for geriatric patients with dementia and related responsive behaviours; and allow us to expand our critical care capacity to 9 ICU beds,” says Kelly Isfan, president and CEO, Ross Memorial Hospital.
“I am thrilled to announce this funding for our local hospital,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “COVID-19 has presented new challenges for our hospitals and this investment will help people in our community receive the care they deserve right here in Lindsay.”
The new beds announced today are in addition to the previously announced investment included in Ontario’s fall preparedness plan, Keeping Ontarians Safe: Preparing for Future Waves of COVID-19.
QUICK FACTS
▪ The Ontario government has provided over $700,000 to Ross Memorial Hospital for capital projects through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund as well as a five per cent increase of over $3.7 million in annualized funding.
▪ Ontario previously invested $741 million to help clear the backlog of surgeries and build more capacity in the health care system to effectively manage surges and outbreaks in COVID-19 cases.
▪ The Ontario government also released A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a framework to help hospitals assess their readiness and begin planning for the gradual resumption of scheduled surgeries and procedures, while maintaining their ability to respond to COVID-19 and the flu season.
▪ For additional protection, the Ontario government is encouraging everyone to download the new COVID Alert app on their smart phone from the Apple and Google Play app stores.
Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect the people of Ontario from COVID-19.
