KITCHENER -- Tough choices lay ahead of the decision makers at Grand River Hospital, unless they see a dramatic increase in funding.
Grand River Hospital CEO Ron Gagnon laid out a comprehensive report at the board of directors meeting that provided evidence that the hospital is providing a high level of care, despite lagging funding.
“Ontario hospitals are amongst the best in the entire country if not the best, Waterloo Region and Wellington County Hospitals are better than the Ontario experience, and by most measures Grand River Hospital is better than the Ontario average,” said Gagnon.
Gagnon says over the last five years Grand River Hospital has seen an increase in funding of 5.1 per cent while the provincial rate of inflation has increased around 11 per cent.
Creating more pressure on the system is an anticipated growth in the senior citizen over the next 20 years.
According to the report the expected growth of the 65 plus cohort is 120 per cent, compared to a provincial average of 105 per cent.
All of these pressures are already showing cracks in the system.
“We also know what the limits to that type of approach are, when we look at our ambulance off-load times, which are growing, our alternate level of care which is growing, our wait times for care which is also growing, those are all signs of a system that is really under stress,” said Gagnon.
This could mean the hospital will have to reduce it’s staffing levels or the amount of services they provide
“We’d have to look at what we can delivery safely and in a high quality way within the funding that is available to us. Today I would be speculating on what decisions we would have to make, hard decisions would have to be made,” said Gagnon.
The Ontario Hospital Association has recommended a province-wide funding increase of 4.85 per cent increase, however GRH officials say a 5.67 per cent increase is needed to sustain their current levels.
