The Ontario government has stepped up with funding for infrastructure upgrades and repairs at the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres, Westover Treatment Centre in Thamesville, and to help off-load ambulances quicker at hospitals in Chatham-Kent.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault recently announced a total of $361,063 in provincial funding for the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres and $30,538 for Westover Treatment Centre in Thamesville from the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund.
Pinsonneault noted this funding is part of Ontario’s broader investment of nearly $15 million through the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund (CIRF) to support infrastructure upgrades and maintenance and repairs at 67 community health service providers across the province.
He said this investment will help strengthen access and services for people in our communities.
“Investing in the infrastructure of our community health centres means ensuring these important local services have the safe, reliable spaces they need to serve patients and families," said Pinsonneault.
The province noted it is investing approximately $64 billion in major health infrastructure over the next decade.
It's part of the government’s plan to get shovels in the ground on more than 50 major hospital projects across the province, which will deliver approximately 3,000 new hospital beds to enhance access to quality care and build a connected, people-first health-care system.
Pinsonneault also announced $54,600 through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire nurses and other eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments to help reduce delays paramedics encounter when arriving at hospitals to transfer patients.
He said he's proud to see the province continuing to invest in practical solutions that strengthen emergency care here in Chatham-Kent and across Ontario.
“This investment will help make sure paramedics in Chatham-Kent can spend less time at the hospital and more time where they’re needed most — responding to 9-1-1 calls and helping people in our community.” Pinsonneault said. “By supporting dedicated health-care professionals to help offload patients, we’re improving access to emergency care while making better use of our paramedic resources when every second counts."
Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said this investment is about making sure Chatham-Kent residents have timely access to the emergency care they need, while ensuring our paramedics are available to respond to the next call.
“By providing dedicated support to help patients transition from the ambulance to hospital care, we can reduce unnecessary delays and keep paramedic crews on the road and serving our community," Jones noted. "Our government is taking practical action to strengthen Ontario’s emergency care system, support our frontline health-care professionals, and ensure Chatham-Kent has the resources it needs when people need help most.”
The program is designed to get paramedics back into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner.
The Ontario government noted it has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times by approximately 68 per cent since its peak in October 2022 and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province.
