Families in Halton and Peel will be getting help from the provincial government.
Ontario is investing $5.6 million to increase access to pediatric services for children and youth in the two regions. This is part of the Ontario government’s investment of an additional $330 million each year in pediatric health services at hospitals and community-based health care facilities across Ontario.
“Our government is making record investments in the health and well-being of our children,” says Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The pediatric funding provided to services in Peel and Halton regions will have a tremendous impact on children and their families, ensuring they receive faster access to care when they need it.”
The $5.6 million in additional funding will support programs and services at the ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development ($3.7 million), Halton Healthcare ($1.5 million), and Mississauga Health – Ontario Health Team ($400,000). The funding will be used to:
- Increase access to children’s rehabilitation services, including speech-language pathology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, as well as preschool speech and language programs at the ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development.
- Expand access to mental health services and supports at Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital to connect children and youth struggling with an eating disorder to social workers, dieticians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and a pediatrician to help them re-establish consistent eating patterns through their individual care and recovery plans.
- Expand Halton Healthcare’s Navigator Program, so it can provide more support to children and youth who are at risk of hospitalization or who are transitioning to home from the inpatient setting or the emergency department.
- Increase the number of people who can be seen, triaged and cared for at Trillium Health Partners and Halton Healthcare, by expanding emergency department diversion clinics such as the Mississauga Pediatric Care Clinic that connect people to care in the right place instead of going to emergency departments.
“Our government is continuing to ensure children and youth in every corner of the province have quick and convenient access to high-quality and convenient care, closer to home,” says Robin Martin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. “This investment in Peel and Halton regions will make it easier and faster for young people and their families to connect to the care they need for years to come.”
This consistent and stable annual funding increase will ensure hospitals and children’s rehabilitation providers in Peel and Halton regions have the people, resources and technology to improve access to pediatric care and prevent backlogs. Over 100 high-priority initiatives are being quickly implemented across Ontario to ensure children and youth in every corner of the province can connect to emergency care, surgeries, ambulatory services, diagnostic imaging, and mental health services.
“Ontario is putting children and youth first by ensuring they receive the care they need when they need it,” says Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “Our government’s significant investment in pediatric care will reduce waitlists, improve access to clinical assessments, early intervention, and children’s rehabilitation services, such as speech-language pathology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. This means less time waiting for services, quicker recovery, and better quality of life for children and their families in Peel and Halton regions and across the province.”
Learn more about the Ontario government’s financial support to hospitals here.
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