Improving Access to Health Services in Thunder Bay

Written by Ontario Newsroom on 17 March 2014

Ontario Helping More Patients in Northwestern Ontario Receive the Right Care at the Right Time and at the Right Place

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Ontario is improving access to local doctors, nurses and other health care providers to help patients in Thunder Bay get the care they need, when and where they need it.

The province is investing almost $14 million to improve access to emergency care and enhance community health care services. This additional funding will support Thunder Bay’s three largest health care providers: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Care Group and the North West Community Care Access Centre.

New initiatives to enhance care in the community include:

Helping to recruit up to 10 full-time and 14 temporary emergency room doctors to improve access to urgent care.
Staffing 10 acute care hospital beds to treat up to 600 more patients every year.
Expanding a nurse outreach program to provide up to 500 more seniors and people with complex care needs with home care.
Creating 26 new hospital beds to help more people with long-term illnesses or disabilities receive specialized care.
Funding up to 17 more spaces in supportive housing to help seniors and people in need of care remain independent.

Improving access to emergency and community-based health care is part of Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care that is providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place. It is also part of the government’s economic plan that is creating jobs for today and tomorrow by focusing on Ontario’s greatest strengths — its people and strategic partnerships.

QUICK FACTS

Thunder Bay is an important hub for critical health care services for patients living throughout northwestern Ontario — including many from remote towns and First Nations communities hundreds of kilometres away.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s emergency department is one of the busiest in the province with over 105,000 annual visits by OHIP patients in 2013.
Last year, the North West Community Care Access Centre helped over 13,400 people get the care they need at home, at school and in the community.
St. Joseph’s Care Group is a Catholic organization that identifies and responds to the unmet needs of the people of northwestern Ontario. With eight sites in Thunder Bay, SJCG’s regional program areas include Complex Care and Physical Rehabilitation, Long-Term Care and Mental Health and Addictions services.