Kemptville District Hospital is receiving a grant of $362,402 from the provincial government to support critical health care infrastructure upgrades, repairs and maintenance. The funding comes from the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund, a $182.6 million fund to help local health care facilities deal with the ongoing implications of the pandemic.
Other grants provided to health care facilities in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark include Brockville General Hospital which received $956,891, Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital getting $643,649, and $68,081 from the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund for Lanark, Leeds & Grenville Addictions & Mental Health.
“These hospitals and healthcare facilities, and the people working there have gone far beyond the call of duty during this pandemic to ensure that the patients and families in our community receive the high-quality care they deserve,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “These investments are just another step in the Ontario Government’s commitment to support hospitals and healthcare facilities across the province.”
In the 2021 budget, the Government committed to providing a total of $1.8 billion in additional investments to hospitals in 2021-22. This includes adding 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% increase to help them keep pace with patient needs.
Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, believes that this increased funding “will help build the capacity needed to end hallway healthcare, 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 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.
Frank Vassallo, Chief Executive Officer, Kemptville District Hospital, welcomed the new funding: “We are very appreciative for the financial support provided by the Ministry of Health for the renewal of our hospital infrastructure. Our continued efforts to keep our hospital in optimal working order is one of the keys to delivering great care to the residents of North Grenville.”
