Southlake Regional Health Centre will be opening up to 30 additional transitional care beds, as part of an Ontario government announcement today of 200 new beds across the province to help ease the pressure on hospitals while patients make the transition to home, community or long-term care.
The Newmarket hospital is partnering with neighbouring Southlake Residential Care Village to convert and renovate administrative space on the fifth floor of the long-term care facility for the reactivation centre expected to be completed in 2021-22, according to the province.
Southlake is among five new reactivation care centres in Ontario where patients, including those with dementia or needing personal support, will receive services such as physiotherapy, nursing and support for daily living, with a focus on restorative care.
The other reactivation centres are:
- St. Joseph's Villa is collaborating with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences to renovate the eastern tower of the long-term care home to provide up to 60 new transitional care beds;
- Providence Care in Kingston is renovating the former St. Mary's of the Lake Hospital to provide up to 64 new transitional care beds;
- Health Sciences North in Sudbury is renovating the Ramsey Lake Health Centre to provide up to 52 new transitional care beds and;
- Unity Health Toronto will be renovating the Glendale wing of St. Joseph's Hospital to provide up to 28 new transitional care beds.
"Building more capacity is essential to ensure our health-care system is prepared for a surge in demand and supports our ongoing efforts to end hallway health care in Ontario," said Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott in a news release.
"These new transitional care beds will support patients and their families in the Hamilton, Toronto, Newmarket, Kingston and Sudbury regions as they transition out of acute care into the next stage of their recovery. These are important projects that will also support hospitals by creating the additional capacity that they need."
The 200 beds announced today are are in addition to the previously announced up to 128 transitional beds at the Branson Site Reactivation Care Centre in Toronto, which is beginning construction this month and is set to open early next year, the province stated.
