Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Oxford County has abandoned a plan to build a new long-term care home in Ingersoll, which would have replaced the current 34-bed facility on the grounds of Alexandra Hospital.
Last January, county council endorsed an application to build a 194-bed long-term care home in the town, adding to the 34 existing beds. Oxford County released a statement Wednesday morning.
“Our plan drew on the strength of our partnerships with Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll and the Town of Ingersoll and was dependent on funding support from the provincial government to build the home,” it read.
It added that nearly twenty months later the county has not received additional funding support requested from the Ministry of Long-Term Care and, “we have made the difficult decision to move on from this proposal.”
The Echo was able to reach Oxford County CAO Ben Addley during a break from a budget meeting Wednesday. He explained the construction subsidy offered by the province is about $20 per long-term care per bed per day. A top-up of $35 per bed per day encouraged additional development but at the end of the day, a new home just didn’t make financial sense.
“We worked with staff at the Ministry of Long-Term Care whether that would make the project feasible for us with the enhanced subsidy. We found it was not enough to cover our construction costs and there would still be about a $12 million yearly cost for taxpayers if we were to do ahead with it.”
He added members of council felt moving forward with the project was not in the best interest of Oxford County but that doesn’t mean a new long-term care home has been sidelined for good.
“Council has made it clear the door is still open. We know the demand in Oxford County for long-term care beds is high. We have a wait list of about one thousand people for our three homes and we know the demand is going to be there for a long time.”
He added the province has a loft goal of building 30,000 new long-term care beds over the next few years. Addley is hoping to see a more enticing program from Ontario.
“We would like to see them commit more funds or reevaluate the value of the construction subsidies to make it more feasible for us to move forward. If they do, I think council would have us right back at the table having discussions again.
There have been many new long-term care homes built recently across the province including a 128-bed home in Tavistock, owned and operated by privately-owned peopleCare. That home replaced an aging, smaller home on the same site. For-profit companies carry any debt themselves, something the county it wary of considering taxpayer dollars are the only option.
“One of the biggest shortfalls is the carrying costs. Like you said, if we have to borrow that money and then pay it back over 25 years, we have to pay interest on that which creates another demand on us on repayment, driving the cost up.”
At the Nov. 13 meeting, Oxford County Council endorsed a proposal to notify the Ministry of Long-Term Care that Oxford would no longer pursue the Ingersoll long-term care bed application. This decision by council considered the significant municipal tax impact it would have on our residents without additional funding support.
“We know this update is disappointing to many, both inside and outside of Woodingford Lodge. However, this decision now clears a path for us to explore other opportunities for continuing to provide excellent care to residents and support the long-term care needs of our community now and into the future,” the statement added.
“Long-term care is healthcare, and we will continue to advocate to our provincial government to increase funding to deliver this essential service. Municipal taxes alone cannot fund the complex needs of this type of care, which continues to grow in demand and requires greater financial and human resources to operate. We are a willing partner to explore this with our provincial leaders,” explained Addley.
In addition to the 34 beds in Ingersoll, Oxford County operates an additional 34-bed home in Tillsonburg and a 160-bed long-term care home in Woodstock.
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