Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) welcomes the Ontario government’s investment of a 4% funding increase for hospitals in the Spring 2023 Budget. This funding will help ensure that patients continue to receive the quality care they expect and deserve.
“The specific details of the funding have not been released but the increase is further acknowledgment of the rapid growth we’ve felt in Orillia and we anticipate the funding will help support beds we’ve added in just the past few years to meet community need,” said Carmine Stumpo, OSMH President and CEO.
A March 15th site visit from Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, highlighted the successes of the local Couchiching Ontario Health Team, despite the challenges the hospital is facing serving a growing community in aging infrastructure. It was a productive meeting and the Minister was able to see firsthand the value a new hospital would provide for the community.
“While we are disappointed the province did not include a capital planning grant for the hospital in this year’s budget to modernize healthcare for our rapidly growing community, we are optimistic about our future,” said Stumpo. “We will continue to work with our community and the Ministry of Health to chart a path for a new hospital in Orillia.”
OSMH has been operating beyond the physical capacity of its current building and has the oldest hospital infrastructure in the region, with parts of our hospital aging 101 years old. According to the Ontario Hospital Association, OSMH had the highest occupancy rate of all medium and large sized hospitals in Ontario in 2021/2022. In addition, the community’s population has grown twice as fast as the rest of Ontario over the past five years. It’s projected to keep climbing by nearly 45% over the next 25 years.
OSMH continues to call on the government for a planning grant to build a new hospital and will work with the province to ensure the patients of Orillia and beyond have access to the care they deserve.