For Immediate Release

June 21, 2005

McGUINTY GOVERNMENT PROVIDING KINGSTON AREA HOSPITALS WITH HISTORIC MULTI-YEAR FUNDING

KINGSTON– The McGuinty government is ensuring better access to better care for residents of Kingston and The Islands by providing Kingston General Hospital, Hotel Dieu Hospital and The Providence Continuing Care Centre with $35,020,000 in additional funding over the next three years, John Gerretsen announced today on behalf of Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman. It is part of the first multi-year funding announcement in Ontario history.

“Today’s announcement is good news for Kingston hospitals,” MPP John Gerretsen said. “This multi-year funding platform will allow our area hospitals to continue to deliver improved care for our patients and keep our budgets in balance.”

For the first time in the province’s history, every Ontario hospital will know how much it’s getting over the next three years – instead of just one. The new funding announced today plus the funding to reduce wait times announced in May 2005 brings the total operating funding for these hospitals to $335,960,010 for 2005/2006.

Operating Funding Summary:    2005/06     2006/07        2007/08

“Hospitals are the cornerstone of our health care system. They deliver world-class acute care to Ontario patients,” Smitherman said. “This new funding will allow local area hospitals to deliver even better care, meeting the needs of our growing and aging population now and in the future.”

Province-wide, hospitals will receive $12.27 billion in funding this fiscal year, an increase of $650 million or 5.1 percent in hospital operational funding over the previous year, at least $12.6 billion in 2006/07, and at least $13.1 billion in 2007/08.

The McGuinty government has also improved the process of determining how much funding each hospital receives. In collaboration with hospitals, we have developed a funding method that recognizes the unique needs and different sizes of hospitals, how efficient they have been, and whether demand for their services has grown sharply in the past year.

Putting hospitals on stable financial footing is an important part of the McGuinty government’s plan for health care – which includes reducing wait times for key procedures, creating Family Health Teams, increasing the number of doctors and nurses, and investing heavily in community-based health care in order to ease the pressure on hospitals and deliver care where patients need it most — closer to home.
                                              

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