Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker is pleased to announce that Residential Hospital of Grey Bruce has received $340,000 to help offset the costs of COVID-19.
The Ontario government is investing up to $23 million in hospice residences across the province to help them continue to provide high-quality, compassionate end-of-life services and care to people and their loved ones. This funding is a part of the government’s comprehensive plan to end hallway health care, ensuring that people can access high-quality care in the right settings now and in the future.
The $340,000 in funding for Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce represents a 40 per cent increase from the previous year bringing their 2021-2022 funding to $1,180,000. Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce operates Chapman House, an eight-bed hospice located in Owen Sound.
“I am pleased to present funds to Chapman House to help get them through the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, and want to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in providing hospice palliative care as part of this very important end-of-life service in our community and across the province,” said Walker.
“We are very grateful that the government has recognized and addressed the unique financial pressures for Hospices created by the Covid-19 pandemic. These funds will help with increased staffing costs and infection protection and control measures that have impacted our budget,” said Janet Fairbridge, Executive Director of Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce. “We are working through our provincial association, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario, to create a more sustainable funding model for hospices to ensure this much needed and highly valued service is available in communities across Ontario.”
“As part of our plan to end hallway health care, our government is building capacity to create an integrated health care system centred around the needs of patients, families and caregivers, including compassionate end-of-life care,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This funding will help Ontarians receive the respect, dignity and care they deserve at every stage of their lives, while ensuring the province’s hospices have the tools they need to continue to provide high-quality care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Hospice palliative care plays a vital role in Ontario’s health care system, providing people with additional options for high-quality end-of-life care outside of hospitals. This investment will be used to help hospice residences and compassionate care facilities address additional costs associated with COVID-19, including the procurement of personal protective equipment. This is in addition to the province’s annual investment of over $74 million in palliative care, and ensures all eligible hospices receive a minimum increase of 30 per cent this year.
Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested $40 million to add over 200 new hospice beds across the province that support high-quality care for more than 7,000 additional patients per year. Once opened, these beds will be supported by an annual investment of $23 million in operating funding. To date, 149 beds have been opened and are supported by $15.5 million in annual funding from the province.
The province has increased its dedicated investments in hospice expansion and palliative care quality improvement initiatives from $67 million in 2018 to over $74 million in 2021. This represents a 10.5 per cent increase recognizing that hospices provide compassionate end-of-life services to people and families in their communities that include 24/7 professional nursing and personal support services, caregiver supports, and pain and symptom management.
Addition resource: 2021 Budget – Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy
