Prince County facilities receive new bed openings

Wellington residents will soon have more housing options in their own community.

The government announced 42 new licenses for long-term care beds in Prince County this week, 12 at Chez Nous in Wellington and 30 at Andrews in Summerside.

The renovations or Phase 2 of the development will start in spring 2019.

It’s great news for Edgar Arsenault, manager of Chez Nous.

“People will be able to stay in their community once they reach Level 4,” said Arsenault, referring to patients who need round-theclock nursing.

Right now, the closest facilities to Wellington with nurses on 24-hours-a-day are in Summerside and Tyne Valley.

When Chez Nous was built in 2012, it planned for the nowavailable 12 nursing bed spaces,

but iys application was denied at that time, so it filled the beds with community care patients.

Last week’s announcement means Chez Nous can apply for the new bed licenses in June 2019.

The community care facility is planning an expansion to accommodate the nursing beds as well add a seniors’ community centre.

Arsenault anticipates hiring more staff – almost 10 new positions will be created. Chez Nous residents are mostly francophone, so all the staff are bilingual.

The manager is pleased with the “social economic development” the new beds will bring to the community.

Not only will it allow the elderly to stay close to home, it will mean full-time, year-round jobs in a rural community.

These new nursing care licenses “reflect … priorities” in the new Housing Action Plan issued in July, said the news release.

In recent municipal elections, Islanders called for more affordable housing.

Arsenault is prepared to in his community.

The co-operative that owns Chez Nous bought a 14-unit seniors apartment complex across the road from the community care facility just two months ago.

The complex, called Le Bel Âge, can keep the rental rates low because the co-op had help with the mortgage from the government and doesn’t have to recover the entire cost of the mortgage from the tenants, said Arsenault.

Rents will be calculated based on residents’ income, the same as other subsidised housing.