The Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-04-01, Page 5Hospital increase confirmed
Domini n s IUB --- -----
signal-star staff
Members of the Alexandra
Marine and General Hospital
executive stuff recieved some
welcome news last week after
learning that the Ontario govern-
ment kept its promise to increase
funding by 2.1 per cent.
Hospital budgets have been
tightened across the province
and AMGH has been striving to
ensure its own is kept out of the
red for the next year,
"We are relieved that the 2.1
per cent increase announced
last year has been confirmed in
last week's provincial budget,"
said AMGH CEO Bill Thiert.
"This amounts to approximate-
ly $315,000 in needed funding
to help cover increases in our
labour, medical/surgical, ' phar-
maceutical and energy-related
costs."
He added that AMGH had
hoped to receive an additional
amount as a small hospital sup-
plement, us has been awarded
by the provincial government in
the past to hospitals under 100
beds in Mize, but it appears that
this has not been included in this
year's budget.
"This amounts to approximately
$315,000 in needed funding to
help cover increases in our
labour, medical/surgical, phar-
maceutical and energy-related
Bt1L'hlhmrt
Through its 2009 Ontario Bud-
get, the Government of Ontario
confirmed that hospitals will re-
ceive the 2.1 per cent increase
•in the hospital base funding for-
mula in 2009-10, originally an-
nounced one year ago. This base
funding increase was originally
provided to hospitals for plan-
ning purposes, but following the
Fall Economic Statement and on-
set of the global recession, it was
unclear whether or not it would
be maintained.
AMGH continues to work to-
wards achieving a balanced bud-
get for 2009/10. With the 2.1 per
cent confirmed for 09/10, Thibert
reported that the hospital is within
one per cent of their balanced bud-
get and "will continue to look for
operating savings and other effi-
ciencies."
The government's budget also
included a plan to invest approxi-
mately $2 billion over the next
three years to implement e -Health
initiatives, including the creation
of an electronic health
record by 2015 •
According to the
government budget,
hospitals will "remain
whole" when it comes
to the implementa-
tion of a Harmonized
Sales Tax as it recog-
nizes that health care
funding should be
used to deliver front
line patient care.
•
Photo submitted
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Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - Page A5
Other health-care initiatives announced in the budget
included:
•50 more family health teams planned during the next
• two years, including Kincardine and Exeter.
•$40 million for hospitals in Ontario's fastest-growing
communities to improve care and reduce wait -times.
•$361 million in 2009.10 to implement the comprehen-
sive ER wait time strategy.
•$223 mililonon 2009-10 for the aging at home strategy
to provide support to seniors.
•$6S million over two years to create 22 nurse -practitio-
ner led clinics in addition to the threevaiready announced.
•$2 billion during the next three years to implement
health initiatives including the creation of an electronic
health record by 201$ .
*Adding 1,750 long-term care beds in 10 communities
across the province by 2012.
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