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Under pressure

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is feeling the pressure of its overcapacity issues in its budget. As of Dec. 31, 2013, the hospital was running with a $2.4 million deficit for the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2014.
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Hospital executive vice-president of corporate services and operations Peter Myllymaa says overcapacity issues have contributed to the hospital's $2.4 million deficit. (Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com)

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is feeling the pressure of its overcapacity issues in its budget.

As of Dec. 31, 2013, the hospital was running with a $2.4 million deficit for the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2014.

Executive vice-president of corporate services and operations Peter Myllymaa the gridlock situation at the hospital has contributed to that projected deficit.

The regional hospital came out of gridlock last week after 50 straight days of running over capacity.

Myllymaa said the hospital is working with other agencies like St. Joseph's Care Group, and the Community Care Access Centre to find places in the community for the hospital's 48 alternative level of care patients and they're also working closely with the North West Local Health Integration Network to try to tackle the deficit.

"We're working with the LHIN to try to identify any funding that's available and funding for the systems as a whole as well as try to get patients moved out into the community where they belong," said Myllymaa.

Last year, the LHIN gave the health sciences centre $5 million in base funding when they were heading towards a deficit and ended up with a $2 million surplus.

The facility is also over budget in their earned hours; they are 3,800 over their hours budget.
Myllymaa said that can also be attributed to the overcapacity issue.

"As patients come in, you have extra demands on nursing, extra demands on laundry and the facilities to support that," he said.





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