Here’s What the Province is Doing About “Hallway Healthcare” in Ontario

Published October 3, 2018 at 8:18 pm

After news broke that thousands of patients were stuck on hallway stretchers at a number of Ontario hospitals–

After news broke that thousands of patients were stuck on hallway stretchers at a number of Ontario hospitals–including Peel’s own Brampton Civic Hospital–in 2017, the provincial government (then led by Kathleen Wynne) vowed to address the issue.

And although Wynne’s Liberals are no longer leading the province, it appears the newly elected PC government is focused on bringing more hospital beds to Ontario healthcare facilities.

Recently, Premier Doug Ford and Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, announced that Ontario is moving forward with building 6,000 new long-term care beds across Ontario. 

The province says the 6,000 beds represent the first wave of more than 15,000 new long-term care beds that the government has committed to build over the next five years.

In the immediate future, the province says Ontario will create over 640 new beds and spaces and continue funding beds and spaces already operating in the hospital and community sectors across the province to help communities prepare for the surge that typically accompanies the upcoming flu season.  

“Hallway health care is a multi-faceted problem that will require real and innovative solutions,” said Elliott. “Our government will continue to listen to the people who work on the front lines of our health care system as we develop a long-term, transformational strategy to address hallway health care.”

The province says the additional $90 million investment to address hallway medicine will create over 640 new beds and spaces and continue funding beds and spaces already operating in the hospital and community sectors, including:

  • Sinai Health System – Bridgepoint 
  • North Bay Regional Health Centre 
  • Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Hogarth Riverview Manor 
  • Pine Villa 
  • Bayshore 
  • Cooksville Care Centre 
  • Humber River Hospital – Church Street site 

Some facilities will receive additional funding immediately to address current capacity pressures and the remaining will receive funding in the fall/winter for flu season.

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