Funding will support Northwestern Ontario with almost $2-million to Thunder Bay child and youth service providers
Northwestern Ontario will see nearly $2-million in funding from the provincial government to increase access to pediatric care services in the region.
In a press release dated January 25, 2024, Ontario’s Minister of Health Sylvia Jones revealed that the government would be boosting their annual pediatric health care spending this year by $330-million in an effort to provide children and youth more convenient and high-quality care closer to home in hospitals, clinics and community-based health care facilities across the province. Northwestern Ontario will see the benefits of this funding increase by way of several hospitals and care centres in Thunder Bay. The government’s release noted that the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will be receiving $1-million in funding, George Jeffrey Children’s Centre will receive $856,000, and Children’s Centre Thunder Bay is earmarked for $103,700.
The government notes the funding will help to establish a specialized newborn transport team at Thunder Bay Regional Health Centre that will serve remote communities and provide medically-safe transfers to critical services. The funding will also increase access to children’s rehab services, which will include speech-language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and will provide Children’ Centre Thunder Bay the ability to support pediatric mental health and addictions by processing referrals more efficiently to better match children and youth to services, targeted prevention and outreach and occupational therapy consultation.
“Our government is making record investments in the health and well-being of our children,” Jones said.
“The pediatric funding provided to services in Thunder Bay will have a tremendous impact on children and their families, ensuring they receive faster access to care when they need it.”
In addition to the province’s funding, it revealed it is also implementing 100 “high-priority” initiatives across the province to help ensure children and youth can connect to emergency care, surgeries, ambulatory services, diagnostic imaging and mental health services. Among these initiatives are efforts to:
• hire more pediatric surgical staff to increase the number of day surgeries and increase children’s access to diagnostic imaging
• investing in rapid access clinics that individuals can access instead of emergency departments to increase the number of people that can be seen, triaged and cared for on-site in emergency departments
• increasing access to both psychosocial supports for kids with cancer and eating disorder programs in hospitals and community settings, and expanding intensive live-in treatment programs for children with complex mental health issues
According to the government’s release, the overall investment includes up to $45-million from the Ministry of Children Community and Social Services to help fund rehabilitation services and will help providers hire and retain more staff to reduce wait times and give families more timely access to clinical assessments, early intervention and school-based rehabilitation for children with special needs.
“Ontario is putting children and youth first by ensuring they receive the care they need when they need it,” said Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.
“Our government’s significant investment in pediatric care will reduce waitlists, improve access to clinical assessments, early intervention, and children’s rehabilitation services, such as speech-language pathology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. This means less time waiting for services, quicker recovery, and better quality of life for children and their families in Northwestern Ontario and across the province.”
For the current fiscal year, funding is prorated to $240 million. Ontario has also recently expanded One Stop Talk, a virtual walk-in mental health counselling service for children, youth and families.
