MARATHON—The Ontario government recently announced additional funding for more long-term care beds for Northern Ontario.
Marathon in particular will be receiving enough funding to enable them to add a new wing to their local hospital. Acting mayor Greg Vallance saw the province’s announcement as great news for the community. “We are looking forward to rounding out our health care system here in the community and having more long-term care beds will allow us the opportunity to do that”.
He spoke about how these additional long-term care beds will “help maintain the aging demographics within the community and the community’s ability to rounding out our local health care, and keep them with their families as long as possible, while accessing health care”.
Vallance added that, "The PSW’s, nurses, and other additional health care professionals that will be required to work in the new wing of their hospital, will be an added benefit to job creation and result in economic benefits directly related to the province’s funding".
Superior Health Care Group CEO Adam Brown recognizes that hospitals in their communities are full and “particularly our chronic wings which are quasi long-term care wings are at 100 per cent capacity and have been for years”.
Brown described how their acute care of the hospital always has what he calls “ultimate level care” where they see patients typically waiting for long-term care. He spoke about residents from outside the Terrace Bay area that can’t receive the care that they need in their local Marathon home community.
He described the process the municipality had to follow in order for this additional funding to become a reality. “We got the announcement from the provincial long-term care ministry to apply in 2021 and we received notice on Feb. 11, 2022 that they will be receiving funding for 14 more long-term care beds for Marathon”. He indicated that the overall goal is to add “physically to Wisdom Memorial Hospital".
“The building site in Marathon is really quite conducive to an easy build”. Brown added. To the south of the building, they are anticipating putting a small wing of 7,000 square feet for 14 beds; "so it’s a large addition that will run perpendicular to our existing building”.
He is optimistic that the government will offer quick approval of their final design and appropriate funding so that, “We will be able to put shovels into the ground next summer," said Brown.
Brown offered a timeline for this project, indicating that by spring of 2023 construction can start and they can open the doors to the addition within a year of that, which would be Spring of 2024.
Moving forward this project as acting mayor, Greg Vallance described will, “offer many opportunities for employment," and with potentially another mine, he sees "the possibility of more projects in Marathon’s future which will bring with them a lot of good things for the community and the region".
Brown added his view that, “With it being almost impossible to find a place to live in town, this long-term care facility will allow them the opportunity to place people in a housing situation that is appropriate for them”. Just like in so many municipalities in the province, said Brown," The aging demographics is increasing and many seniors are at a stage in life when they need special care. Living in their homes to get this special care is becoming more difficult, especially since many of the homes that senior live in are older and have stairs that are difficult to climb, driveways to keep clean, and yards to keep groomed".
Many of these residents, as Brown shared, at some point have to come to a long-term care institution in order to have access to the proper health care and daily care that they require. Fourteen more Marathon residents will be able to access this care as a result of this additional government funding.
The future of Marathon definitely looks bright for many reasons, and there is no doubt that when these additional beds are added to their hospital, the future of 14 more seniors, and their families will also become a lot brighter.
