Ontario Providing More Funding for Hospital Care and New Beds in Durham Region

New investments will ensure local families have access to high-quality health care

May 3, 2022

DURHAM REGION – Today, Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby, and Peter Bethlenfalvy
MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge announced that the following hospitals in the Region
of Durham will receive additional operating funding this fiscal year:

• Lakeridge Health will receive an additional $12.3 million starting in
2022/23, which represents an increase of 2.6 percent to funding last fiscal


• Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences will receive an
additional $2.8 million starting in 2022/23, which represents an increase of
2 percent to funding last fiscal

This is part of the Ontario government’s $827 million additional investment to
hospitals across the province, representing a four per cent increase from last
year. This will ensure all publicly funded hospitals receive a minimum two per
cent increase to their operating budgets to help them better meet patient needs,
while building a stronger, more resilient health care system.


“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our local hospitals have gone above and
beyond to provide exceptional care to patients and families in Durham Region,”
said Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby, and Chief Government Whip. “This new
investment is just one way Ontario is supporting high-quality and timely access to
health care to ensure we have the capacity to stay open.”


“As part of our Plan to Stay Open, our government is continuing to build a
stronger health care system for Ontarians,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for
Pickering-Uxbridge. “This funding will ensure hospitals in Durham Region can
continue to provide excellent care for patients and families.”


Over the last four years, the Ontario government has made significant
investments in Ontario’s hospitals as part of its plan to build a stronger, more
resilient health care system that is better able to respond to crisis. This includes
overall sector increases four years in a row, representing a total provincial
investment of $2.5 billion since 2019.

“Ontario’s hospitals have been unwavering in their commitment to protect the
health and wellbeing of Ontarians, and our government is committed to ensuring
that they have the resources needed to recover from the pandemic and meet the
ongoing needs of the communities they serve,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy
Premier and Minister of Health. “By increasing investments in hospitals
provincewide, our government is helping to ensure that patients have access to
the high-quality care they need, when and where they need it.”


In addition, as part of its plan to stay open, the government is investing
$15,208,000 to add 88 new patient beds to Lakeridge Health. These new beds
are part of a capital plan expansion with more than 50 major projects that will add
3,000 new beds over 10 years and support the continuation of over 3,100 acute
and post-acute beds in hospitals and alternate health care facilities, and
hundreds of new adult, paediatric and neonatal critical care beds. Since the
outset of the pandemic, the government has added 777 more intensive-care unit
hospital beds with the capacity to now handle 2,448 critical care patients.

QUOTES

“We are appreciative of the Ontario government’s financial commitment to
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, which enables us to better
meet patient needs while also contributing to the development of a more robust
and resilient health care system. By increasing investments in hospitals
throughout the province, we ensure that patients have access to high-quality care
when and where they need it. “

  • Karim Mamdani, President and CEO, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental
    Health Sciences

“We are grateful to our provincial government partners for their continued support
and commitment to our hospital teams. This funding will help us to continue to
achieve our vision, One System. Best Health. and not only provide the highest
quality of care to patients, but also ensure residents of Durham Region are able
to continue to receive timely access to critically needed acute care services.”

  • Cynthia Davis, President and CEO, Lakeridge Health

QUICK FACTS

To support growing demands on the health care system, Ontario’s
investments over the next 10 years will lead to $40 billion in health
infrastructure across the province. These investments will increase
capacity in hospitals, build new health care facilities, and renew existing
hospitals and community health centres.