Arnprior gets some good news on nursing home
Provincial cash available for new facility, but bulk of funding must be raised locally
Premier Kathleen Wynne was in Arnprior Wednesday to announce the construction of a new nursing home, assuming residents in the community can pay for it upfront. Wynne attended a breakfast with residents at The Grove, which is currently a 60-bed nursing home, and announced plans for the construction of a new 96-bed facility which will have much more modern accommodations.
The news about a new facility came as a surprise to area residents who had been involved in a letter-writing and fundraising campaign aimed at increasing the Grove’s capacity.
As recently as February, the chief executive of Arnprior Regional Health, which oversees the Grove, said that without significant investment in the nursing home and the ability to add additional beds, the facility would be forced to close.
The province has not agreed to provide any money before the construction of the new nursing home, leaving Arnprior Regional Health to raise the cash for the project through a mix of charitable donations and debt. However, requiring health-care facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes to secure their own financing is a fairly normal practice in the province.
It has also implemented new private room rates, aimed at helping to raise some additional funds for construction.
The project is estimated to cost between $21 million and $24 million to complete. The budget for the project makes it among the largest construction projects in Arnprior.
“Long-term care homes are truly people’s homes. Our support for The Grove’s redevelopment will give seniors in Arnprior a more comfortable and modern place to socialize, stay active and spend time with loved ones,” Wynne said in a statement.
“This project and the dedication of this community is proof that when we work together with community partners, it is possible to keep long-term care homes viable in smaller communities.”
The Liberal government has agreed to pay a “construction funding subsidy” that will amount to $635,959 per year for 25 years, but only once construction of the new facility has been completed, according to Katrin Spencer, project manager of The Grove’s redevelopment.
Over its lifetime, the subsidy is valued at $15.9 million.
The money for the construction subsidy is coming from the government’s Enhanced Long-term Care Home Renewal Strategy which was announced in 2014.
The planned new facility will be built connected to the old Grove nursing home on Ida Street North in Arnprior. The old Grove facility will be repurposed.
The extra beds have been touted as the key to keeping the Grove open past 2025.
According to Spencer, no date has been set detailing the start of construction on the project, however they’d like to start building by summer 2018.
The province has not agreed to provide any money prior to the construction of the new nursing home.