636 More Long-Term Care Beds for Seniors in York Region
RICHMOND HILL – Ontario is creating 636 new long-term care beds in York Region to help seniors better access high-quality care and continue to live happy and healthy lives.
·Mon Sheong Foundation, Stouffville Campus: 320 new beds
·Schlegel Villages: 192 new beds
·Arch Long Term Care: 124 new beds
MPP Reza Moridi was at the Mon Sheong Richmond Hill Long Term Care Centre this morning to make the announcement. These new beds are part of the province’s commitment to build 5,000 new beds by 2022, and more than 30,000 new beds over the next decade.
Ontario is also investing more than $300 million over the next three years to hire an additional registered nurse at every long-term care home, and to increase the provincial average to four hours of daily care per resident by 2022. This will ensure that every home will have staff with specialized training in behavioural supports and in palliative and end-of-life care.
These investments, as well as a substantial 4.6 per cent increase in funding for the hospital sector and more support for home care, will improve access to care and reduce wait times in the health system to better meet the needs of a growing and aging population.
The government is also improving life for more seniors by:
·Expanding OHIP+ in 2019 to make prescription drugs free for everyone 65 and over
·Investing $650 million in new funding over three years to improve home and community care services
·Creating the Seniors’ Healthy Home Program to help those over 75 offset the costs of living independently with a $750 annual credit.
Making long-term care better and more accessible is part of the government’s plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.
QUOTES
“This is fantastic news for our communities – by adding 636 new long-term care beds in York Region, we are helping more seniors access the care they need close to family and friends. This vital investment will improve the quality of life and the quality of the care received by our seniors.” — Reza Moridi, M.P.P., Richmond Hill
“Our government is committed to supporting Ontario residents who rely on long-term care homes for their ongoing health and personal care needs. We have allocated 5,000 new long-term care beds, and are delivering on our commitment to increase long-term care capacity by 2022 as part of Aging with Confidence: Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors. This is the first step to create more than 30,000 new long-term care beds over the next decade, helping more seniors access the care they need in their community, close to family and friends.” — Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“Mon Sheong Foundation is very excited about this announcement for York Region. We would like to thank the Ontario government investing in our seniors. With the approval of 320 long-term care beds, we will be able to relieve some of the pressure from our waitlist. We will quickly start off Phase One of our Ten-Year Development Plan and move forward in working with the provincial and municipal government on the next steps.” — Stephanie Wong, C.E.O, Mon Sheong Foundation
“I want to thank the Ontario government for making this investment in expanding long-term care capacity in Central LHIN and for allowing Schlegel Villages to be a part of that expansion. Ultimately this investment will mean shorter waits for seniors in the community needing long-term care and fewer seniors in hospital waiting for long-term care placement. This translates into better care and a higher quality of life for seniors and makes the entire health system function more effectively. We are looking forward to developing these new 192 beds into a new full continuum of care Schlegel Village in Richmond Hill.” — James Schlegel, President & C.E.O, Schlegel Villages
“We are grateful that the Ontario government is creating 636 new long-term care beds in York Region. These beds will greatly improve the quality of life of seniors who need such services, create hundreds of permanent jobs and improve patient flow in our healthcare system. This is a very critical and much needed investment in our community.” — Joseph Gulizia, President & C.E.O, UniversalCare Canada Inc.
QUICK FACTS
·Through the 2018 Budget, Ontario is making more than $3.3 billion in additional investments to support seniors and caregivers over the next three years.
·These long-term care home beds will continue through their respective capital and licensing reviews.
·The 5,000 new long-term care beds will include nearly 500 new beds for Indigenous communities and over 1,500 new beds for specific cultures, including francophone communities. ·Ontario’s new investment in home care includes $180 million in 2018-19 to fund an estimated 2.8 million more hours of personal support, including caregiver respite, as well as 284,000 more nursing visits and 58,000 more therapy visits. This is part of a $650 million investment in home care over three years.
·Ontario is investing $1 billion over three years to create the Seniors’ Healthy Home Program. This will provide up to $750 per year for eligible households led by seniors 75 and over to help them offset the costs of living independently.
·The government is investing more than $100 million over three years in Ontario’s Dementia Strategy, including $37.5 million to expand community dementia programs and respite care services.
·As part of the 2018 Budget, Ontario announced an additional investment of $10 million in 2018-19 to strengthen and expand palliative and end-of-life care, bringing new annual funding to $40 million and a total three-year investment of $165 million between April 2016 and March 2019. This includes support for up to 20 new hospices across Ontario.
·The 2018 Budget also includes an $8 million equipment fund to prevent falls and injuries to keep residents and support workers safe.
·Ontario’s proposed new Drug and Dental Program will allow individuals and families without extended health coverage to be reimbursed up to 80 per cent of eligible prescription drug and dental expenses. This represents an investment of more than $800 million over the program’s first two years.