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Ontario's Ministry of Health has provided the official approval to St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre (SJCCC) in Sudbury for the final allocation of 36 beds for the Rehabilitation Bed Expansion Project, which will be located on Lasalle Boulevard.
In a news release, St. Joseph's said it was pleased with the announcement from Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, which means the new facility on Lasalle will be upgraded to 72 beds from the original plan, which had gained approval for 36 beds in April 2022.
In a news release, SJCCC said new construction is slated to commence for the 72-bed facility in February 2024.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the final approval is another indicator of how Ontario's Conservatives are working to meet health care needs in every part of the province.
“Through our government’s Your Health plan, we are continuing to make significant investments in Ontario’s hospitals and health care infrastructure while getting shovels in the ground for over 50 development projects across the province," Jones said in the release.
"The expanded St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre will ensure patients and their families in the region can connect to the care they need, close to home, for years to come," she added.
In the news release, Kari Gervais, president and CEO at SJCCC, said the new facility will replace the temporary operations St. Joseph's is providing downtown at the Clarion Hotel, which has provided care to nearly 1,400 patients since it went into operation in April of 2020.
Gervais said the new facility will serve more older adults and help them regain their independence.
“This project will have a positive impact on chronically high ALC pressures in our community and address a long-standing under-supply of rehabilitative care beds in the City of Greater Sudbury that existed pre-pandemic. More significantly, individuals, and particularly frail older adults, will have an opportunity for rehabilitation so they can continue living independently in the community," said Gervais.
SJCCC board chair Catherine Huneault was also pleased with the announcement.
“Again, we applaud the Government of Ontario for supporting our community with much-needed additional rehab beds that will provide critical capacity and enable us to move patients out of temporary spaces such as the Clarion Hotel. We are excited to move our planning efforts forward to bring these state-of-the art beds online as quickly as possible," the release quotes her saying.
"We are proud to work with the Government of Ontario to make this worthwhile project become a realization for our community. Additionally, we are pleased to be part of the health care solution in Greater Sudbury as we continue to work toward meeting the unmet needs of our community."
