January 30, 2025 · 0 Comments
A further investment of $20 million from the Provincial Government will help Southlake Health keep pace with a growing and aging community.
The $20 million funding, which includes an increase of $11.6 million in base funding for the local hospital, was announced Monday afternoon by Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy.
The announcement was made in a new clinic at Southlake Health in a space which was vacated by members of their HR team to an adjacent building in an effort to boost capacity for patient care.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that our government is investing more than $20 million to assist Southlake Health achieve their goals of providing this access to high quality care closer to home,” said MPP Gallagher Murphy at the announcement. “Part of this funding will support 61 hospital beds here at Southlake Health. It is part of the Capacity Initiative announced last November, which is part of a $257 million investment to support the continuing operation of more than 3,500 post-acute and critical care beds right here across this great province. Also included in today’s announcement is an annualized increase to Southlake’s base funding of more than $11.6 million. Plus, there is an additional $1.6 million [in] one-time funding to address this year’s fiscal financial pressures.”
The investments were welcomed by Dr. Paul Woods, who serves as President and CEO of Southlake Health.
Southlake, he said, “serves some of the fastest-growing and aging communities” in the Province, and these funds will be well-placed to keep pace with demand.
“Two of the four fastest-growing municipalities in Canada are part of our 1,200 square kilometre core catchment area,” said Dr. Woods. “This investment of over $20 million, including an increase in base funding… of $11.6 million will help us support the evolving health care needs of patients and families across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County.
“For more than a century, Southlake has built healthy communities through leading-edge care. This is a foundation we’re incredibly proud of; countless lives have been touched by Southlake, from patients and visitors to staff and medical staff, to volunteers, community partners and supporters…. Today’s announcement will help us continue to have a positive impact on our communities. It is especially timely given the recent launch of Southlake’s new strategy for the decade ahead. Our ambitious strategy will build a distributed health network, enhancing our ability to provide care in our communities to meet the needs of our growing population, wherever they are.”
By Brock Weir