TORONTO, July 6, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) welcomes confirmation of close to $150 million in new provincial funding to enhance care and services for residents of Ontario's long term care homes.
"We now have the details of the 2011-2012 budget allocation for homes and we are very pleased to see that many of the priorities we identified in our pre-budget submission have been addressed," said Debbie Humphreys, Acting CEO of OANHSS. "Residents will see a direct benefit from this investment through enhanced levels of care and services."
The government communicated to the sector this week that the new funding includes the following allocations:
...$76.5 million for nursing and personal care as well as programming and support services.
...$32 million for 800 additional personal support workers.
...$15 million to address costs associated with implementing new regulation requirements.
...$7.4 million to support staffing training.
...$17.4 million to increase the daily food allowance for residents and to address inflationary pressures.
"We understand the fiscal pressures that the Ontario government is currently facing and we appreciate the commitment this government has made to improve the lives of Ontario's seniors," said Humphreys. "As residents become older and frailer, they will require significantly more care and this funding will go a long way to ensure that they receive the care they deserve."
OANHSS is the provincial association representing not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors. Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes, seniors' housing projects and community service agencies. Member organizations operate over 27,000 long term care beds and over 5,000 seniors' housing units across the province.
