“Finance Minister Charles Sousa committed funding for our health care future, specifically for a new south Niagara hospital.”
News from Niagara Health (former known as the amalgamated Niagara Health Service or NHS)
Posted April 27th, 2017 on Niagara At Large
Our vision to build a healthier Niagara got a significant boost today with the provincial government’s announcement that it will be investing in healthcare in our region.
This billboard sign, on a green site in south Niagara Falls, has been up now for more than half a decade. File photo by Doug Draper
Finance Minister Charles Sousa committed funding for our redevelopment plans, specifically for a new south Niagara hospital. There are many other areas mentioned such as: primary care improvement and wait time reduction funding with further details to follow. Our redevelopment plans are before the Ministry for feedback and approval.
“We are grateful to the province for this healthcare investment in Niagara,” said Niagara Health President Suzanne Johnston. “We look forward to receiving more details from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care about the funding.”
Background
Niagara Health is awaiting formal approval on redevelopment proposals – Stages 1A&B and Stage 2 – submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in 2015 and 2016.
The proposals call for Centres of Excellence in stroke, eye care, seniors’ wellness, complex care and academic education to be located in Niagara Falls.
The proposals also call for urgent care, dialysis clinics, outpatient clinics for medical and surgical patients, diagnostic imaging, ultrasound and radiology, as well as a lab and other services in Welland. The programs and services details will continue to be refined as we move through each stage of planning.
The core of this work is to:integrate hospital and community care services for a seamless experience anticipate the need for growth in inpatient beds – projecting 100 new beds in 2023 (located in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines) and an additional 140 new inpatient beds in 2033 (majority located in Niagara Falls) seize the opportunity to adopt the latest medical and technological advances in healthcare continue to retain and recruit the best physicians and healthcare professionals enhance our infection prevention and control practices make better use of our limited resources by reducing duplication provide senior-friendly care in all aspects of the patient experience
Vision
In our work to Build a Healthier Niagara, we are also exploring new ways that healthcare services can be offered in the community such as in-home care, satellite clinics in shared spaces, and through the use of new technology. We will continue to reach out to our teams and to the community, working in partnership to redesign healthcare based on the needs of the people we serve. Improving access to care and co-ordination of services with community-based health partners will be at the forefront of our work.
Patients First: Action Plan For Health Care.
To learn more about our redevelopment planning, or to sign up for updates, visit www.niagarahealth.on.ca/future.
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How much longer are we going to be played for fools, people? The future of hospital services in south and east Niagara was an election issue last time we went to the polls provincially, and it looks like the same scenario for 2018. Why are we no further ahead? The Niagara Health System’s HIP (Hospital Improvement Plan) was published in 2008. Many of us here in the REAL south Niagara have been fighting to keep hospital services in our municipalities. Kevin Smith, sent in as NHS Superintendent, far from addressing our concerns, presented a report calling for far more drastic cuts, including the closure of the Welland General. That was in 2012. We are no further forward. The NHS is still calling for the closure of the Welland General, to be replaced by two buildings to house outpatient and day services only, as well as long term care. In the meantime, the population of Welland and its surrounding area continues to grow. The same is true for Niagara Falls. I just had hip replacement surgery at the Welland General, using the minimally invasive technique that means that I am walking around and climbing stairs unaided one month later. It’s fantastic — and only available in four other hospitals in Ontario. Is the Welland General a hospital that should be closed? Nonsense! It’s high time we got something out of the Ministry of Health, the LHIN and the NHS Board other than obfuscation. It’s OUR health system — let’s remember that.
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I was told that the new hospital was kaput because the farmer wouldn’t sell any more land for parking. True or false?
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I hadn’t heard that. I rather doubt that it’s true, because the Ontario Budget would hardly have recommitted to the project if it had run into real trouble. At any rate, I’ll be at a Welland Health Committee meeting on May 8, and the Chair will be sharing some news from the NHS. So I may learn more. Whether I believe it or not is another thing altogether 🙂
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