$5.2-million funding helps PRHC secure 45 new beds
Thirty of the beds for elderly patients will be off-site at Rubidge Retirement Residence
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) will soon have 45 new beds thanks to a bit more than $5 million in provincial government funding announced Friday.
Peter borough-K a war th a MPP Dave Smith made the announcement at PRHC on Friday, with reporters joining the news conference via videolink.
The total sum announced by Smith for PRHC was $5,204,400.
“Today’s a great day for PRHC and everyone in our community,” Smith said, adding that the funding will benefit people in a wide geographical area since PRHC is a regional hospital.
Thirty of the 45 beds will be off-site at Rubidge Retirement Residence; they’re for elderly patients who aren’t well enough to be sent home from hospital, but have not secured a bed in long-term care.
Instead of living at PRHC while they await a spot in longterm care, 30 patients can go to Rubidge Retirement Residence.
That program started in 2019 with provincial government funding for 10 beds; since then, PRHC increased it to 20 beds at the retirement residence.
Friday’s announcement will boost the program to at least 30 beds in total at the retirement residence this year.
It will mean 30 of about 100 elderly patients that PRHC has living on its wards for lack of long-term care can go stay at Rubidge instead of occupying beds at the hospital.
It’s been an “excellent” partnership between the hospital and retirement residence, said PRHC vice-president and chief nursing executive Brenda Weir at the news conference.
“Nobody wants to live in the hospital,” Weir said.
“This has provided them (patients) with an opportunity either to wait for their final destination to a long-term-care home in a home-care setting.”
“We’re eternally grateful for this opportunity to provide excellent care for our patients,” she added.
On top of those 30 beds, the funding will pay for 14 more beds at PRHC (two for the intensive care unit, nine acutecare beds and three more surge beds).
Weir said there are currently 463 beds at PRHC.
The funding is especially needed in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
“This has been a challenging year for PRHC and for our partners across the health-care system,” she said, adding that this funding will “play a vital role” in patient care this year.
Meanwhile, there is an additional project planned in Peterborough that is expected to reduce the number of elderly patients living in PRHC: Peterborough Housing Corporation is building an 85-unit seniors complex on Bonaccord Street that will include 20 beds for people who would otherwise have no choice but to live at PRHC.