New funding connecting children and youth in southeastern Ontario to care close to home

The Ontario government has announced that it is investing over $1.7 million in Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) to increase access to pediatric services for children and youth in the region, so they can access the care they need, when they need it, right in their own community. This is part of the government’s investment of an additional $330 million each year in pediatric health services at hospitals and community-based health care facilities across Ontario.

Dawn Gallager-Murphy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health (MPP Newmarket-Aurora), Nolan Quinn, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services (MPP Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) and MPP Ric Bresee (Hastings-Lennox & Addington) visited KHSC’s Hotel Dieu Hospital site to learn how the funding will be used in Kingston. The government also announced additional funding today for agencies in Belleville and Brockville today to support services to children in those communities.

"Our government is making record investments in the health and well-being of our children,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The pediatric funding provided to services in Belleville, Kingston and Brockville will have a tremendous impact on children and their families, ensuring they receive faster access to care when they need it.”

The additional funding will support KHSC’s KidsInclusive Centre for Child & Youth Development ($1.29 million) and KHSC’s pediatric program ($431,000). Specifically, the funding will be used to:

• Increase access to children’s rehabilitation services, including speech-language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, through KidsInclusive.
• Increase access to psychosocial supports for children and youth with cancer at KHSC’s pediatric oncology clinic, to help them better cope with the changes occurring in their life because of the illness.
• Provide additional staff with specialized pediatric training, hire new staff, and purchase specialized pediatric surgical equipment to support increasing pediatric volumes at KHSC.

“We are grateful for this funding which recognizes our role as a key pediatric facility in the Ontario health-care system,” says KHSC President and CEO Dr. David Pichora. “As southeastern Ontario’s provider of highly specialized care for young patients and families, this funding will support both acute pediatric inpatient and outpatient care, as well rehab and long-term support. Specifically, the funding is aimed at reducing wait-times and improving access for children and families across our region.”   

“This significant investment in pediatric services is welcome news to many young patients and their families in my riding,” said Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP John Jordan during a media event in Belleville. “This funding will help them get the exceptional care they need and expect, as Kingston Health Sciences Centre continues to deliver the highest quality of care, with state-of-the-art facilities that are capable of meeting the growing needs of Kingston and surrounding communities.”

The annual funding increase across the province will enable over 100 high-priority initiatives to be quickly implemented in Ontario, ensuring children and youth in every corner of the province can connect to emergency care, surgeries, ambulatory services, diagnostic imaging, and mental health services.

“Ontario is putting children and youth first by ensuring they receive the care they need when they need it,” said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “Our government's significant investment in pediatric care will reduce waitlists, improve access to clinical assessments, early intervention, and children's rehabilitation services, such as speech-language pathology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. This means less time waiting for services, quicker recovery, and better quality of life for children and their families in Belleville, the Thousand Islands region and across the province.”