OHA Welcomes Investment to Increase Hospital Capacity this Winter
TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - "The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) welcomes the government's investment of $116.5 million to fund up to 766 more beds, which will help ensure that hospitals have the resources needed to care for patients this coming winter when patient volumes are expected to be at their highest.
Across the province, hospitals are the backbone of their communities – something that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus. However, because of historic factors, hospitals have been operating in a state of semi-permanent over-capacity and facing unprecedented levels of overcrowding.
Most of the stand-by capacity created in hospitals at the onset of the pandemic via the cancellation of all elective or planned activity has been filled. Many of Ontario's large community hospitals and health science centres are full. The province is now facing a situation where the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 will likely collide with other seasonal respiratory illnesses, adding significant pressure to a sector already experiencing unprecedented demands and conditions.
With 5,000 patients awaiting discharge to another more appropriate setting, long-term care homes grappling with a second wave, and a backlog of almost 150,000 surgeries to address, hospitals are facing an impossible balancing act.
On behalf of the province's 141 public hospitals, the OHA is grateful for today's investment, which will help hospitals maintain stability during the difficult months ahead while continuing to focus on fighting the relentless war against COVID-19 and keeping Ontarians safe."
- Anthony Dale, President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association
SOURCE Ontario Hospital Association
Aslan Hart, [email protected], 416-205-1376
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