The North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) is getting 45 new patient beds.
That’s thanks to $8.2 million in provincial money.
“Our Health Centre has been vocal about the constant and sustained bed pressures our organization has faced over the past five years, amplified by COVID-19,’ says Paul Heinrich, President & CEO of the North Bay Regional Health Centre. “Early in the pandemic, the province eliminated ward rooms in long term care as an additional infection control safety
measure. In the Nipissing district, this move had a significant impact on our hospital’s patient flow as our district has a higher than average number of ward rooms in LTC relative to rest of the province.”
Heinrich says the province then created 45 temporary hospital beds for NBRHC to ensure our short-term ability to cope with the incremental volume and support the hospital’s capacity to provide care.
“Today’s announcement represents a 10% increase in bed capacity with the addition of 45 new base funded beds – bringing our total to 458,” he says.
NBRHC also received $4 million in Fiscal Year funding, a 2% increase in base funding, which will help manage inflation.
Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced the funding.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our local North Bay Regional Health Centre has gone above and beyond to provide exceptional care to patients and families in our community,” he says. “These new investments reflect Ontario’s commitment to support high-quality and timely access to health care, and to ensure we have the capacity to stay open.”
The hospital also receives $142,000 to assist with same-day and early discharge services.
