The Kemptville District Hospital has been included in a list of hospitals in the Leeds and Grenville area which will be receiving grants as part of the provincial government’s move to invest in hospitals and end hallway healthcare.
Local M.P.P., Steve Clark, made the announcement last week, and pointed out that the grants for his riding were part of a $68 million grant program to support small- and medium-sized hospitals. This new investment is on top of the $384 million more that Ontario’s hospitals received this year as part of the province’s 2019 budget.
“Increasing funding for our local hospitals is an issue I have championed from the first day I was elected MPP. I’m proud our government is taking this action to improve patient care by supporting these hospitals, ensuring they have the resources necessary to meet the growing needs of our community,” he said. “This new investment is another example of how Ontario is supporting high-quality and timely access to health services, while delivering on our commitment to end hallway health care.”
KDH will receive $158,000 under the program. The other two local hospitals named in the announcement were Brockville General Hospital ($5.5 million), and Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital ($1.26 million).
The Ontario Government has committed to invest $27 billion over the next 10 years in hospital infrastructure projects across Ontario, including adding 3,000 new hospital beds. It is intended, under this initiative, to help end what is called hallway health care, where overcrowding and lack of capacity in hospitals has left many patients waiting long hours in Emergency Rooms, and spending hours, or even days, on hospital gurneys in corridors because of a lack of available beds.
Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, launched the program which, she said, was part of a “comprehensive plan to end hallway health care. We have listened to patients, frontline staff and key stakeholders to determine how we can fix historical inequities to provide financial stability and relief to hospitals, regardless of their size”.
In effect, these grants, according to Steve Clark, will mean an increase of 1% for small-sized hospitals, and 1.5% for medium-sized ones.
