For Immediate Release
June 21, 2005
McGUINTY GOVERNMENT PROVIDING LOCAL HOSPITALS WITH HISTORIC MULTI-YEAR FUNDING
Increases Over Three Years Will Help Local Hospitals Plan For The Care Needs Of Patients
WINDSOR - The McGuinty government is ensuring better access to better care for residents of Windsor and Essex County by providing Windsor Regional Hospital and Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital with $25,926,900 in additional funding over the next three years, local MPPs announced today. It is part of the first multi-year funding announcement in Ontario history.
"This is the kind of stable, multi-year funding hospitals have long been asking for, and our government has delivered," Windsor-West MPP, Sandra Pupatello said. "It will greatly increase their ability to plan for the care needs of their patients, manage their finances and keep their budgets in balance."
For the first time in the province's history, every Ontario hospital will know how much it's getting over the next three years - instead of just one. Local hospitals will receive an additional $12,029,000 this fiscal year in new operating funding. This new funding plus the funding to reduce wait times announced in May 2005 brings the total operating funding for these hospitals to $296,496,956 for 2005/2006. Local hospitals will receive at least $303,398,000 for operations in 2006/07, and at least $307,858,200 in 2007/08.
"Hospitals are the cornerstone of our health care system. They deliver world-class acute care to Ontario patients," said Dwight Duncan, MPP for Windsor-St.Clair. "This new funding will allow hospitals like Windsor Regional and Hotel-Dieu Grace to deliver even better care, meeting the needs of our growing and aging population now and in the future."
Province-wide, hospitals will receive $12.27 billion in funding this fiscal year, an increase of $650 million or 5.1 per cent in hospital operational funding over the previous year, at least $12.6 billion in 2006/07, and at least $13.1 billion in 2007/08.
The McGuinty government has also improved the process of determining how much funding each hospital receives. In collaboration with hospitals, we have developed a funding method that recognizes the unique needs and different sizes of hospitals, how efficient they have been, and whether demand for their services has grown sharply in the past year.
"Putting hospitals on stable financial footing is an important part of the McGuinty government's plan for health care," said Essex MPP, Bruce Crozier. "This announcement does just that."
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For further information, please contact:
Stephanie Nadalin
Office of MPP Sandra Pupatello
416-325-5219
Erika Botond
Office of MPP Dwight Duncan
416-327-3546
Bruce Crozier, MPP
519-776-6420
