Niagara Health is receiving $1,975,600 in support to reduce wait times in emergency departments at the St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland hospital sites, according to a news release.
This funding is part of an additional $44 million for 165 high volume and smaller emergency departments across the province.
"When someone experiences a medical emergency, it is vital that they get the urgent attention they need quickly," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones. "By offering more funding for hospitals who show the greatest success in reducing wait times in their emergency departments, we are providing more support for them to deliver faster emergency care to the communities they serve."
Local hospitals have the flexibility to decide how to spend this funding on local solutions that will help people receive care faster and reduce their length of stay in an emergency department.
"This provincial funding is a direct investment into front-line capacity at Niagara Health," said Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff. "The increased support addresses growing pressures on local emergency departments across the province and provides front-line doctors and nurses with the resources they need to care for patients in life-threatening situations."
In addition to the funding for emergency departments, the Ontario government is investing up to $1.17 billion in 2023-24 to support bedded capacity at hospitals across the province, the release said.
"The government's ongoing commitment and investments in Niagara Health and the community are greatly appreciated," said Niagara Health CEO and President Lynn Guerriero. "This investment into our annual budget will strengthen our ability to meet the needs of Niagara's growing and aging population,"
Quick Facts
- Since 2008, Ontario has provided $90 million annually to high volume emergency departments across the province. This funding has been used to put in place local solutions that reduce emergency department length of stay, increase access to quality health services, and improve patient experiences.
- During the 2022/23 fiscal year, to support Ontario's pandemic recovery the government allocated $93.4 million using additional one time-funds for initiatives to reduce the time patients spend in emergency departments.
- As of the end of 2022, Ontario approved fifty hospital development projects that will build more than 3,000 new hospital beds in communities across the province over the next ten years.
