Greater Sudbury Northern Life
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is providing $534,200 to the City of Greater Sudbury to develop a new 4,200-square-foot centre for specialized geriatric services at Pioneer Manor.
“We must never rest on our laurels when it comes to ensuring the best possible services for our seniors. I am proud that our government is helping create the north’s first Regional Geriatric Program right here in Sudbury,” said Rick Bartolucci, MPP for Sudbury, in a release.
"This geriatric program will certainly add to the quality of life of our seniors as well as create as many as 12 jobs for our community.”
The senior’s campus will house a team of health care professionals that will assess and treat older adults with multiple health care needs. Older adults throughout the northeast will have access to a specialized geriatric team with the development of a Regional Geriatric Program in Sudbury.
Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke, a former Lively resident, will lead the team of service providers working in the clinic, set to open in March 2009.
“The demographics in Northeastern Ontario indicate that our population is aging at a very rapid pace. Moving forward with this first-of-its-kind initiative in Northeastern Ontario will ensure that our elderly will have access to a specialized geriatric team lead by Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez.
“The Senior’s Campus will benefit from the services of many specialized staff that will help improve the health of our elderly citizens by enabling them to age at home,” concludes Bartolucci. “This initiative may also help bring more doctors into our community.”
QUICK FACTS
The specialized geriatric team will include the region’s first geriatrician (medical doctor), two clinical nurse specialists, a social worker, occupational and physiotherapists, as well as a dietician.
This clinic will be one of six in the province.
The 2006 census indicated the proportion of individuals over the age of 65 in Northeastern Ontario, currently at 16.3 per cent, is already higher than the provincial average, and would increase by 39 per cent by 2016.
