By Sean Delaney
On August 11th the Ontario government announced that a new long-term care home will be built at Humber River Hospital’s Finch site in months, not years. The project is part of the province’s Accelerated Build Pilot Program. By working with Humber River Hospital and Infrastructure Ontario, the province intends to build up to 320 new long-term care beds at this site by the end of next year.
The pilot program is part of the government’s plan to create new long-term care beds across the province that include features such as air conditioning and private or semi-private rooms, beginning immediately. The pilot program was launched on July 21, 2020 in Mississauga where two new homes with up to 640 new beds will be built, and followed up with another project announced on July 28, 2020 in Ajax where 320 new beds will be built.
Details about the new project were provided by Premier Doug Ford, Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, Barbara Collins, President and CEO of Humber River Hospital, and John Tory, Mayor of Toronto.
“After years of underinvestment in long-term care, we are getting shovels in the ground faster and delivering on our commitment to build 30,000 long-term care beds over the next decade,” said Premier Ford. “We’re working with innovative partners like Humber River Hospital and Infrastructure Ontario to help get our seniors off wait lists and into modern rooms, so they receive the quality care they deserve sooner.”
Through the use of hospital lands, and a range of accelerating measures such as modular construction and rapid procurement, the government and its partners are targeting completion of the project by the end of 2021, years faster than the traditional timeline for long-term care development.
Humber River Hospital will work with Infrastructure Ontario to manage the day-to-day construction and commissioning oversight.
“Now, with our experience of COVID-19, it is more important than ever that we realize our government’s vision to build a 21st century integrated long-term care system that provides proper care.”
For public inquiries call the ServiceOntario INFOline at: 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only).