THUNDER BAY -- Increased funding and improving long-term care under an NDP government will ease pressure on overburdened hospitals, party leader Andrea Horwath promised.
At a Saturday morning press conference outside the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, the Ontario NDP leader committed to immediately invest $1.2 billion in Ontario hospitals to address the overcrowding crisis.
Horwath, the first party leader to visit the city since the writ was drawn up for the provincial election, was optimistic the funding will alleviate some of the pressures the local hospital faces such as overcrowding and limited resources for the emergency unit.
“This hospital is built for about 375 patients, and carries about 450,” Horwath said, calling it a direct result of Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne’s cuts. “The administrators here are saying it’s the highest number of patients they’ve ever had to deal with.”
More than 30 patients at the over-capacity hospital were temporarily transferred to an unused section of the Hogarth Riverview Manor long-term care home earlier this year, and remain there despite an expectation of the arrangement to end on March 31.
Horwath announced her party would honour the commitment to bring a cardiovascular surgery program to the hospital, originally made by the Wynne Liberals. She also pointed to the party platform's commitment to invest $19 billion over 10 years in capital funding for Ontario hospitals.
Improvements to home care and long-term care should help ease the burden on the regional hospital, Horwath said, but if it's not enough an NDP government would be willing to consider a facility expansion.
"If it's clear the administration here needs capital investment to meet the needs of this community we will absolutely be at the table," Horwath said, adding she has pledged to immediately add 2,000 new hospital beds across the province if elected.
She is also promising to invest in long-term care by funding 15,000 more long-term care beds over five years. Local long-term care facilities are facing notable staffing shortages. Workers at Hogarth Riverview Manor say the lack of personal support workers on hand is resulting in a decreased lack of care.
The planned 544-bed St. Joseph's Care Group home has been unable to open one wing due to an inability to hire enough personal support workers and the facility has been placed under third-party management as a result of ongoing non-compliance in the little more than two years since it opened.
“I know how frustrated the people of Thunder Bay are having expected a new facility to meet the needs of the community, and seeing the opposite occur,” Horwath said.
Horwath pointed to an increase in pay for personal support workers as one way to ensure facilities are properly staffed, as well as guaranteeing more access to full-time work. More human resources will provide an enhanced quality of care inside the homes, she added.
“One of our commitments is that every resident of long-term care will be getting four hours of hands-on care each and every day,” Horwath said.
Horwath spent much of her speech taking aim at Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford and his intentions to “privatize public services,” while positioning her party as the only ones who can stop Ford from being the next premier.
“The people of Ontario seem to have already decided that Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals will not be forming the next government,” Horwath said. “Privatization in the health care system under Mr. Ford means people will have to pay out of their pocket.”
Horwath will hold another campaign event centred around long-term care this afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie.
