By Jack Hauen
The government announced it will give an additional $68 million to small- and medium-sized hospitals in Ontario this year.
Health Minister Christine Elliott and her parliamentary assistant, Robin Martin, made the announcement on Thursday in Toronto at Casey House, Canada’s first and only stand-alone hospital for people with HIV/AIDS.
Small-sized hospitals will receive a one per cent funding increase and medium-sized hospitals will receive a 1.5 per cent boost, Elliott said. The rest will go toward targeted funding to assist with “unique situations and historical funding challenges,” according to a government release.
“Ontario has a comprehensive plan to end hallway health care,” Elliott said. “Working with our hospital partners, we are fixing long-standing issues with how hospitals are funded that disadvantaged small- and medium-sized hospitals. We have listened to patients, front line staff and key stakeholders to determine how we can fix historical inequities to provide financial stability and relief to hospitals, regardless of their size.”
Ontario Hospital Association CEO Anthony Dale said the funding model has historically “significantly disadvantaged medium-sized hospitals and this has affected their stability in recent times.”
This announcement “demonstrates significant progress toward addressing this inequity,” he said.
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