The Ontario government is making additional investments to help long-term care homes offer residents more onsite healthcare services.
The province is investing nearly $10 million to launch the new Equipment and Training Fund, which will enable long-term care providers to purchase more diagnostic equipment and train staff to better manage and treat residents.
The provincial government says the fund will help staff treat conditions that often lead to “unnecessary” hospital visits, such as urinary tract infections, falls, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure.
“By connecting residents to faster and more convenient diagnostic services, we are helping connect residents to the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Minister of Long-Term Care Stan Cho in a news release. “This will help to reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospital stays, increase the services available at long-term care homes, and improve residents’ quality of life.”
The province is also increasing access to services such as blood work at long-term care homes through mobile community labs.
Later this fall, the Ontario government said it will also expand its Nurse-Led Outreach Teams program, to provide underserved long-term care homes with in-person and virtual consultations with a team of nurses.
