A redesigned funding model that will lead to the building of additional, modern long-term care homes will help break down historic barriers and accelerate the construction of urgently needed long-term care projects, and new and redeveloped beds said the Province today.
Over the next five years, the government is spending $1.75 billion in long-term care homes. It is also updating design standards to include air conditioning for any new and renovated homes, beginning immediately.
Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Minister of Health, and Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care.
"Our new funding model will not only encourage new beds to be built faster, but also upgrade existing older homes to meet high-quality design standards, with features like air conditioning and private or semi-private rooms. Our seniors deserve nothing less," said Ford."
The new funding model will help speed up construction by creating four new regional categories based on geographic location, each with a targeted home size: large urban, urban, mid-size, and rural. An increase to the province's construction funding subsidy (CFS) will be tailored to each of these four categories, enabling the government to address the barriers and needs of different communities;
Working with the long-term care sector, the government will dedicate funding to ensure long-term care homes in need have working air conditioning.
With thousands of new and redeveloped beds on the way, the government is also going to be changing long-term care regulations and design standards to ensure that all new long-term care builds and redevelopments are mandated to have air conditioning.
Between 2011 and 2018, there were 611 long-term care beds built across the province ― less than one bed per home.
Nearly 78,000 Ontario residents currently live in 626 long-term care homes across the province.
