Northumberland Hills Hospital Gets More Beds and Increased Funding from the Government of Ontario

Pete Fisher
1 year ago
• Categories: Local

Northumberland Hills Hospital Gets More Beds & Increased Funding from the Government of Ontario

Funding for local hospital has increased by over 30% since MPP Piccini first took office.

On Friday, August 25, 2023, Member of Provincial Parliament, David Piccini was joined by the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, Dawn Gallagher Murphy to announce that the Ontario Government is investing over $5.5 million in Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) through multiple streams of funding.

“The Ontario Government is building a stronger public health system, with care that is closer to home and more convenient for Ontarians” said MPP David Piccini. “This is another big increase in base funding for NHH that builds on historic investments we have made in this unbelievable hospital who boast such remarkable staff who do great work. They deserve it.”

The funding includes a net-new base funding increase of $2.1 million to support 10 permanent new beds for 2023/24; support for expanded on-call service of over $1.5 million; and an overall hospital increase in funding of $1.8 million.

Prior to the announcement, MPP Piccini and PA Gallagher Murphy met with representatives from Northumberland Hills Hospital to hear how this funding supports better patient centered care and the hospital’s ability to sustain core services and adjust for growth.

This combined investment provides Northumberland Hills Hospital with support to address rising community needs and ensure people can continue to connect to world-class care, that includes: emergency department services, trauma, acute and post-acute medical care, obstetrics, surgery, diagnostic imaging, cancer care, and community-based mental health services.

“Ensuring Ontarians have the care they need, when and where they need it, is a core promise of our government,” said Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. Dawn Gallagher Murphy.

“The more than $5.5 million investment in the healthcare services provided by Northumberland Hills Hospital is a clear demonstration of this commitment.”

“The government’s ongoing commitment to NHH and the community we serve is greatly appreciated,” said NHH President and CEO, Susan Walsh. “Maintaining consistent revenue is critical to the smooth delivery of high-quality services today, and to future planning. Today’s funding announcement builds further on previous good news from the government and will help to strengthen our ability to meet the needs of a growing and aging population here in west Northumberland. Of particular note in today’s announcement is the news—received from our MPP earlier this week—of $2,190,000 in net new base funding for the current 2023/24 fiscal year. This is indeed welcome news. Notwithstanding additional pressures related to inflationary and other costs, the government’s commitment to this much needed funding will allow us to better match funded capacity to actual operations and be better prepared for growth.”

Quick Facts:

· Ontario’s $850 million investment in 2023-24 represents a four per cent increase on operating funding to hospitals in 2022-23.

· Ontario has invested over $1 billion through its surgical recovery strategy since the start of the pandemic to support hospitals in ramping up surgeries and addressing wait times impacted by the pandemic.

· The province invests over $259 million in funding to support on-call coverage in acute-care hospitals across Ontario.

· This funding includes $12.5 million investment from the 2021 Physician Services Agreement with the Ontario Medical Association which will also commits to a fundamental re-deisgn of the Hospital On-Call Coverage program into a burden-based funding model. This ensures equitable distribution of funding across physicians providing on-call services.

· Over the last 3 years, the province has added more than 3,500 hospital beds across the province. Through 50 new major hospital development projects, Ontario will add another 3,000 new hospital beds over the next 10 years.