Funding boost supports critical infrastructure at Lakeridge
Lakeridge Health is receiving an additional $2.5 million from the province to be put toward behind the scenes infrastructure improvements.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
A collection of infrastructure repairs at Lakeridge Health are getting a booster shot from the province as the hospital gets set to receive more than $2.5 million in additional funding this year.
Announced by Durham MPP Granville Anderson during an event at the Port Perry hospital of Lakeridge Health, the $2,578,892 will go toward improvements to plumbing, electrical and other behind the scenes, supportive infrastructure the hospital needs to operate.
“The funding supports the kinds of critical, day-to-day systems of the hospital, like electrical, plumbing and control systems that are not necessarily visible to Durham patients and their families,” says Matthew Anderson, the president and CEO of Lakeridge Health. “In a regional system of acute care like Lakeridge Health, funds for ongoing maintenance and repair are vital to patient care and safety, and we’re thankful to MPP Anderson and the province for this important investment.”
The funds will go toward supporting just over 20 projects spread across Lakeridge branches in Oshawa, Whitby and Port Perry. Approximately $1.8 million of the funds will go toward work at the Oshawa hospital.
“Durham families deserve the best quality health care, and this investment will help provide that,” states Anderson in a news release.
The dollars are a small portion of the large healthcare funding push by the province in recent years, something that was exemplified in this year’s budget where $7 billion in healthcare funding was announced, including funds to expand mental health and addiction services and initiatives to reduce wait times through Ontario’s Patient’s First Action Plan for Health Care.
The $2.5 million for Lakeridge is part of a $175 million investment in upgrading and repairing hospitals this year through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund (HIRF).
“These repairs and upgrades are crucial to ensuring all patients get the help they need now and in the future,” states Eric Hoskins, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in the same news release. “By upgrading our hospitals’ infrastructure, we are helping Ontarians get the best health care close to home.”