It was a special day in Mattawa as the new Algonquin Nursing Home had its official grand opening Friday morning.
The event meant a lot to Mattawa Mayor Dean Backer.
“When you see this kind of investment in health care in our community it is a wonderful thing. Thanks to the Monestime family and people who are visionaries of the home itself it is a huge asset for this small but magical town,” Backer told CKAT’s Bob Coles.
Pierre Noel, president CEO of the Mattawa Hospital & Algonquin Nursing Home
He says this has been a great health investment for the Mattawa area.
“What we did today was open up a brand new 72-bed long term care facility on the site of the Mattawa Hospital and integrate it with our primary care and health care services so what we have is a fully integrated health hub in Mattawa with a brand new long term care home,” Noel told CKAT.
The Algonquin Nursing Home has been serving elderly residents for 40 years. It was opened with 60 extended care beds in 1976 by Dr. S.F. Monestime and Mrs. Zena Monestime.
In 1984, one wing of the facility was extended to provide 12 additional beds, allowing even more elderly family members to remain in the community that they called home for their entire lives.
Vic Fedeli, Nipissing MPP, believes the new beds are a big benefit for the community.
“This is huge for a community of 2000 citizens with their own 72-bed long term care facility, 85 employees at the hospital, 85 employees at the long term care facility and they do not have to leave town for their own place to call home,” said Fedeli to CKAT.
The new 72-bed facility located at 207 Turcotte Park Road brings the home in line with the recent changes to Ministry of Health and Long Term Care legislation and is a vital part of the Health Hub Model that puts the patient at the centre of care.
“You can’t underestimate the benefit to patients and residents when everything they need is in one place and the healthcare providers involved in their care are accessible to each other,” said Bob Simmonds, Board Chair, Mattawa Hospital in a release.
In February 2017 the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care gave approval for Mattawa to participate in the Enhanced Long-Term Care Home Renewal Strategy, giving the project the green light. The Health Hub Model is part of ongoing efforts to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of the delivery of services across the continuum of care.
