Nipissing Patients and Caregivers to Benefit from $2.04 Million Dollar Provincial Investment

Thanks to a significant investment from the province, the North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) is excited to be embarking on a unique partnership with the Alzheimer Society Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay & Districts to improve the quality of care and support for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as well as their care partners.

The provincial government announced an investment of $2.04 million to help ease hospital pressures in Nipissing, part of a $90 million province-wide investment to help ease alternate level of care (ALC) pressures.

Paul Heinrich, NBRHC President and CEO says bed pressures affect flow across the entire Health Centre. The closure of the 66-bed Lady Isabelle Nursing home caused the Health Centre’s ALC numbers to jump dramatically from 7.5% to 25%. “Sometimes called a ‘patient flow crisis’, these are situations where the Health Centre sees an increase of patients coming in through our Emergency Department (ED) with no available beds to admit them,” Heinrich explains. “These are common in health care and typically last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks—however NBRHC has been experiencing significant bed pressures since the summer of 2017.”

Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli announced the local breakdown for the 14 bed transitional unit:

• 10 bed unit for high risk older adults with complex needs who require a restorative period in a safe place with a view to returning to a home like environment within the community;
• 4 bed short stay/respite program available for overnight care in partnership with the Alzheimer Society Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay & Districts
• Specialized Day Program operated by the Alzheimer Society will have capacity for up to 12 participants daily, 5 days a week

Long wait lists for long-term care and limited caregiver supports can lead to increased use of the Emergency Department to meet situational crises. Often this results in the use of acute care resources to address housing, respite, and transitional care needs.

Tanya Nixon, VP Mental Health says transitional care encompasses a broad range of services and environments designed to promote the safe and timely passage of patients between levels of health care and across care settings. “High-quality transitional care is especially important for older adults with multiple chronic conditions and complex therapeutic regimens, as well as for their family caregivers,” Nixon says.

“These essential programs will help to improve the quality of care and support services for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as well as their care partners in our community who are living the dementia journey,” says Stéphanie Leclair, Executive Director Alzheimer Society Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay & Districts.

At this early stage there is no timeline for implementation but we look forward to sharing more details as they become available.

-30-

Contact: