The Ontario government is providing $500,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to help the Municipality of Whitestone renovate and expand the Whitestone and Area Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. The expansion will allow frontline staff to provide care to more patients from the surrounding area, when and where they need it. Ontario is building a stronger and more resilient healthcare system by improving access to healthcare professionals in times of demand and crisis. This funding will create jobs, maintain community infrastructure and improve quality of life in northern communities.
“I am very pleased to see this investment in the Whitestone and Area Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic,” said Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. “The clinic is an essential part of the community and these upgrades will support the health and wellbeing of Whitestone residents, cottagers, and the surrounding region. This expansion will increase the clinic’s capacity to serve the community, with additional rooms for patients and increased space to address infection control if necessary.”
The NOHFC funding will be used to double the facility’s square footage, allowing for the addition of three new patient care rooms, a larger reception and waiting area, a full kitchen, a boardroom and private office, storage for medications and other supplies, and a suite for visiting nurse practitioners or students on a short-term rotation.
“The Municipality of Whitestone is delighted to receive this substantial funding from the NOHFC towards the cost of expanding our nurse practitioner-led clinic in Dunchurch,” said George Comrie, Mayor of the Municipality of Whitestone. “We appreciate the assistance of the Ontario government in upgrading this important community asset, which serves residents of Whitestone, McKellar, Magnetawan and beyond with many important health care services. The expansion will provide the needed physical capacity to accommodate its growing staff of health care professionals and roster of patients.”
“To bring the vision of expansion to reality we are extremely grateful for the significant financial assistance of the Ontario government, along with the wonderful fundraising activities of the Advisory Committee and friends, a very generous contribution from an anonymous donor, contributions from both the Township of McKellar and the Municipality of Magnetawan and a grant from Infrastructure Canada,” said Michelle Hendry, CAO and Clerk, Municipality of Whitestone. “With this funding assistance and their own contribution, the Municipality of Whitestone is pleased to support and manage this expansion project.”
“With this investment, we’re not only creating jobs for the local community, but ensuring that the proper community health infrastructure is in place for northerners to receive exceptional care when they need it,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry. “Our government is committed to upgrading and maintaining critical healthcare facilities in Northern Ontario, making it a place where people want to live, work and raise families.”
The NOHFC promotes economic prosperity across Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects—big and small, rural and urban—that stimulate growth, job creation and skills development. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $473 million in 4,244 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $1.5 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 6,600 jobs.