Ontario Government Funds New Hospice Beds for Community Care Northumberland

Crucial Funding for Four New Beds for Ed’s House

November 24^th, 2023

Cobourg— The Government of Ontario is supporting compassionate, end-of-life care in Northumberland County and helping alleviate pressure on the hospital system by funding 4 new beds at Ed’s House in Cobourg.

As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is expanding access to palliative care services in Northumberland County. This is part of Ontario’s $147.4 million investment over three years in communities across the province to connect more Ontarians to comfortable and dignified palliative care close to home and loved ones. The Ontario Government is investing $283,800 to Community Care Northumberland Ed’s House hospice current 6 beds, in addition to providing $609,200 for 4 new beds.

“Ed’s House is the culmination a monumental community effort, and Premier Ford and I are so proud to support the expansion of this incredible place”, said MPP David Piccini. “We are investing this much needed funding to provide sustainability and more beds, so our loved ones have the care they need.”

In the past year, Community Care Northumberland (CCN), through the dedication of their professional staff and highly trained volunteers, has touched the lives of 531 clients in the community and over 148 residents and their families through the 24/7 end-of-life care and support provided at Ed’s House Northumberland Hospice Care Centre, all offered at no cost to the client. Ed’s House commitment is to provide you with the right care, at the right place, at the right time, in a way that makes sense to you.

Trish Baird, CEO of CCN, adds, “We are thrilled with the announcement of this additional funding to support our hospice beds at Ed’s House along with funding to operate our four additional suites. This investment ensures that compassionate end-of-life care remains accessible and cost-free for those in our community. We have been honoured over the last two and a half years to be able to share in the end-of-life journey with the many Ed’s House residents, their caregivers, and friends.”

A portion of this funding will be used to connect people to more palliative and end-of-life services across Ontario including:

Grief and bereavement supports that help families and caregivers who are grieving the loss of a loved one;
Advance care planning to help patients and families prepare for future health care decisions; and
Perinatal palliative care programs that provide specialized grief, bereavement, and peer support that help parents prepare for the loss of their infant addition to expanding palliative care services across the province, this investment will provide existing residential hospice beds in Cobourg with over $893,000 in additional funding over the next two years for nursing, personal support, and other services delivered to patients at Community Care Northumberland’s Ed’s House. Ontario is investing over $53.8 million over the next two years to increase funding by 45 per cent for all approved hospice beds in Ontario, plus an additional increase for hospice beds in small facilities.

The provincial investment also includes $10.9 million in multiyear funding to continue operations of 23 additional residential hospice beds through the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 fiscal years.

“When people approach the end of their life, they deserve to know that they can remain in their community, near loved ones,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Expanding access to end-of-life care in Ontario communities will provide patients and their families with additional choices, helping to ensure they stay close to home in a familiar setting, with the specialized care they need.”

With Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the province is making it easier for people and their families to connect to the care they need throughout their entire life, whether that’s by expanding access to services in their home or community or giving them the choice to book or take an appointment virtually, to ensure hospital and long-term beds are available when it is needed most.

QUICK FACTS

Expanding care options in the community is a key part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the plan to help Ontario families connect to the care they need, in ways that are more convenient for them.
Ontario is expanding end of life care services by adding 23 new hospice beds to the 509 beds already available across the province to connect Ontarians with end-of-life care.
Palliative care, which includes end-of-life care, can begin as early as the diagnosis of a serious illness and focuses on improving the quality of each individual’s life, provides integrated and holistic care for individuals, their families, and caregivers and ensures that they have access to the supports they need when facing illness, death, grief, and/or bereavement.

QUOTES

“This investment demonstrates the Government understands the value of community based hospice palliative care and how it impacts the lives of everyone and supports the healthcare system with compassionate and cost effective care. The funding will help families have critical conversations about quality of life as part of their health care planning, it will support families as they journey through grief including parents facing the loss of an infant, and it will sustain hospice residences to meet the growing demand for hospice palliative care.”

Rick Firth
President and CEO, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario

“This investment in quality hospice palliative care places Ontario as a leader in Canada on an issue that impacts every community. Thanks to the tireless efforts of HPCO, hospices, health care workers, and volunteers, this funding will enable more Ontarians to receive the right care, in the right place. We are thrilled to see this important step forward in Ontario towards a future where everyone can access quality palliative care when they need it most.”

Laurel Gillespie
CEO, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association

“Ontario’s doctors support and welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring that every patient in Ontario has access to high-quality palliative care in the setting of their choice, from the time they are diagnosed with a life-limiting illness until they die. The Ontario Medical Association believes that allowing patients to remain in their preferred setting, often the home or home-like settings such as long-term care, provides not just better care and compassionate support for them and their loved ones at this difficult time, but is also a better use of health-care resources.”