McGuinty Government provides grant for South Bruce Grey Health Centre - Feb. 23, 2007

Investing $ 750, 000 For Kincardine Site Planning

KINCARDINE: The McGuinty government is supporting redevelopment plans at the Kincardine site of South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

"The McGuinty government is proud to lend its support to South Bruce Grey Health Centre," said Smitherman. "The $750,000 in funding we're announcing today will help South Bruce Grey Health Centre plan for better emergency, ambulatory care, diagnostic and laboratory areas to better serve the health care needs of the people of the Kincardine area."

The government's investment will go towards the planning for renovations and expansion of an aging facility, including increasing the hospital's capacity for emergency and ambulatory care, resulting in better access to quality hospital services for people in and around Kincardine

"We are pleased with the government's support for our redevelopment planning," said Mr. Paul L. Davies, President and CEO of South Bruce Grey Health Centre. "This funding will help us develop an innovative solution to provide a much-needed expansion of services and patient care space."

"Our government has a vision of a health care system that is going to help keep Ontarians healthier, get them good care when they are sick, and be there for them for generations to come," said Carol Mitchell, MPP for Huron Bruce. "Today's announcement is another step towards making that vision a reality here in the Kincardine area."

This is just the latest example of how the McGuinty government is working to provide quality hospital care. Other initiatives include:

• Investing over $142 million in an Emergency Department Action Plan, which contains system-wide solutions to ensure emergency rooms stay open and increase capacity in the health care system to meet the needs of Ontario patients.

• Increasing operating grant funding to hospitals to $12.9 billion in 2006/07, growing to $14 billion in 2008/09.

• Reducing wait times for five key health care services (hip and knee joint replacement, cataract surgeries, MR1 exams, cancer surgeries and cardiac procedures) with a recent investment of $222.5 million.

• Increasing medical school enrollment by 23 percent and funding long-term care homes to hire 682 new nurses.



0 Supporting over $41 million in Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund (HIRF) to all Ontario public hospitals for critical or high-need priority projects.

Today's initiative is part of the McGuinty government's plan for innovation in public health care, building a system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.