The North Bay Regional Health Centre is opening a 40-bed Alternate Hospital Facility (AHF) on Cartier Street.
Officials say the facility, in the former J.W. Trussler School, will provide people that no longer need hospital care with specialized services as they transition to long-term care, a retirement home or other post-acute services.
The expansion adds 16 new beds and is expected to open early in the new year.
Paul Heinrich, NBRHC President and CEO, says the new site and additional beds will increase access to care for patients and relieve some of the ongoing bed pressures the hospital is facing.
“The fact that we will have 16 incremental beds will make a big difference, at least temporarily,” he says. “We’re going to have to keep building infrastructure and services because of the pressure from chronic diseases and population changes are coming at us like it is for everyone.”
Heinrich says we’re not out of the woods yet with the recent bed crisis, pointing out they went from 37 no-bed admits a few weeks ago to an average of about 20 now.
“It will happen again,” he says. “We haven’t even gotten into the full respiratory season and the influx of patients we had a few weeks ago was unrelated to respiratory illnesses. It was just a lot of sick people.”
With the new expansion, Heinrich says it has been a very quick turnaround in getting this facility off the ground.
“Basically, a one-year time frame since we began to plan for it,” he says.
Vic Fedeli, Nipissing MPP announced the province is providing $7.3 million for the $9.8 million expansion.
He also announced $6.1 million in one-time funding to assist with the transition of both Alternate Level of Care and the Alternate Hospital Facility.
“As soon as it’s opened any overflow from the hospital will be able to come here,” Fedeli says. “This is going to help with Alternate Level of Care beds we funded at the hospital. There’s always a need for more. This will be that transition after.”
He adds it’s basically a mini hospital with hospital beds, rooms and care.
