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Supporting local health care initiatives

February 12, 2014   ·   0 Comments

In addition to funding and providing Long Term Care and Emergency Services to Simcoe County residents and visitors, the County of Simcoe has long been a major funding contributor to our regional hospitals.  

While the funding of our area hospitals is legislated as a provincial responsibility, County Council chooses to provide additional funding because it recognizes and values the importance of superior health care to our residents and believes that we all deserve access to quality care close to home. This is a partnership that directly benefits our communities and residents by improving services that impact all of us.

Recognizing this, in 2007, County Council committed $30 million in funding to the Simcoe County Hospital Alliance (SCHA) over a 10-year period to provide support for hospital capital projects across the County. The SCHA was established in 2002 and is comprised of the CEO’s of all hospitals in Simcoe County, as well as Newmarket. The Southlake Regional Health Centre is included in the SCHA because it serves many County residents—particularly in the south. The group was formed to advise the County of each hospital’s ongoing capital needs. Their goal is to ensure equitable distribution of available funding from the County to hospitals in the SCHA.

We are proud to contribute $3 million to the SCHA as our 2013 commitment to support capital projects at five or our area hospitals including Collingwood General & Marine Hospital, Georgian Bay General Hospital, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Southlake Regional Health Centre and Stevenson Memorial Hospital.

Each year, the SCHA assesses the needs of our area hospitals and recommends funding be distributed accordingly. These monies will be used towards a variety of capital projects that contribute to the improvement of health care throughout Simcoe County.

An official cheque presentation to the SCHA will be held at the County of Simcoe Administration Centre on the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2014. The event demonstrates the County’s strong partnership with the SCHA and our area hospitals, as well as Council’s ongoing commitment to ensuring our residents have access to quality health care and world-class hospitals.

The quality of life of all our residents and visitors is often dependent on the strength of our hospitals and their staff and many volunteers. The County of Simcoe has provided generous support to our local hospitals pledging to commit $62.2 million in funding from 1994 to 2016. Specifically, $20 million has been marked for the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

We have almost reached our current funding commitment and look forward to building future partnership with health care providers throughout Simcoe County for the greater good of our communities and residents.

By Cal Patterson, Simcoe County Warden

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