The province says it's investing nearly $5 million to "support" the continued cost and operation of 27 beds at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie.
The new funding, according to local officials, is to help the ongoing cost and operation of the beds within the local hospital's Rotary Inpatient Unit.
“This funding will help to address the capacity issues our local hospitals continue to face during RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) season and throughout the year,” Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro Medonte, stated in a news release Friday. “Expanding capacity at the RVH will also help to decrease wait times and ensure our community has access to timely, and sometimes life-saving, care when they need it the most.”
Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin said the funding will help provide ongoing access to care close to home.
“Our government is committed to decreasing wait times and expanding capacity, providing people and families with high-quality care yearlong and with surges during cold and flu season," she said in the same news release.
The satellite unit, located within the Rotary Building on the RVH campus, provides care for patients designated as alternate level of care (ALC), which means the patient does not require acute care, but requires some type of support that is preventing them from being discharged and sent home.
Gail Hunt, RVH's president and chief executive officer, said the hospital is “incredibly thankful” for the funding, which will allow them to continue operating the Rotary Inpatient Unit.
“These 27 beds play a critical role in assisting RVH with patient flow as we utilize them for patients who no longer require acute hospital care," she said in the release.
"By investing in these beds, we are able to provide resources, expertise and compassionate care while we work with patients and families on a safe transition either to home with supports, or to another appropriate setting, such as long-term care,” Hunt added.
The official number for today's funding announcement is $4,927,500.
The local MPPs say this funding is part of Ontario’s investment of more than $257 million this year to support the continued operation of over 3,500 acute, post-acute and critical care beds across the province.