Provincial government investing in frontline care in Mississauga

The Provincial government has announced they are investing nearly $2.6 million in Mississauga’s health care system.

Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP for Mississauga-Lakeshore, and Christine Hogarth, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, announced the government is investing $2,580,933 to help end hallway health care in Mississauga.

The money will be used towards enhancing intensive home and community care, and expanding community-based palliative care services, and will allow for 1.8 million more hours of personal support services; 490,000 more nursing visits and 100,000 more therapy visits; additional community services such as meals, transportation, and caregiver supports; and additional direct community services for people living in supportive housing, and patients living with an acquired brain injury.

This funding will help people leave hospitals sooner and receive the care and services they need from their home, which will likewise free up more hospital beds.

“Mississauga is experiencing higher-than-average rates of patients receiving care in unconventional spaces,” Cuzzetto said in a news release.

“By investing in targeted partnerships between hospitals and home, community, and palliative care providers, we can tackle the challenge of hallway health care head on, to ensure patients are receiving the high-quality care they expect and deserve,” he continued.

“Home, community, and palliative care play a critical role to end hallway health care in Mississauga,” Cuzzetto added. “By making these significant investments and supporting partnerships between home, community, and palliative care providers and busy hospitals, patients will experience quicker transitions between care providers with the appropriate support they need to properly recover, while also making sure hospital beds are available for those who need them,” he Added.

Additionally, the new services will include an Enhanced Intensive Home Care partnership between the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network and Trillium Health Partners (THP), which will allow fragile patients, and those with complicated medical issues to transition from the hospital to their home with augmented care.

These expanded services will also include A Community-Based Palliative Services partnership between Dorothy Ley Hospice, Heart House Hospice, the Mississauga Halton Palliative Network, and THP, which will add two additional hospice beds at Dorothy Ley Hospice, and provide palliative patients more access to home-based services.

“Our government has made ending hallway health care a priority, and I am pleased that we are investing in two additional beds at the Dorothy Ley Hospice in Etobicoke-Lakeshore,” Hogarth said.

“The Dorothy Ley Hospice is an important part of our community, providing critical support and care for patients and their families,” she continued.

“We are thrilled with the government’s investment in community-based palliative services,” Dipti Purbhoo, executive director of the Dorothy Ley Hospice, said. “It will make it possible for more people at the end of their lives, and their families, to receive compassionate care and support at home and in their community.”