News Release - Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) will be able to provide paediatric patients and their families with more services and supports, thanks to funding from the provincial government.
Honourable Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte; Dawn Gallagher Murphy, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health; and Logan Kanapathi, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, visited RVH on Wednesday to announce funding for expanded paediatric services in the region and at RVH.
RVH's funding, part of more than $4 million alloted to Simcoe County, will create two positions - a paediatric social worker and a child life specialist - which will enhance the breadth the health centre offers paediatric patients, creating a better experience for them and their families.
Over the past three years the health centre's inpatient Paediatric Unit has undergone a surge of admissions, rising from approximately 500 in 2020-21 to almost 700 in 2022-23. More families than ever before are turning to RVH for care and the investment from the provincial government gives the health centre the means to grow the highly skilled, interdisciplinary paediatric team.
"This is wonderful news for the children and families in our region who rely on us for care," says Gail Hunt, RVH President and CEO. "Investing in the health and wellbeing of our children will ensure better access to care when they need it the most and improve their experience both during their stay and after discharge. This announcement gives us the means to grow our team and further evolve our care to meet the needs of our paediatric population."
Ontario has invested $330 million in paediatric health services at hospitals and community-based healthcare facilities across the province, increasing access to services for children and youth so they have the care they need, right in their own community.
"Our government is taking action to ensure children and youth in every corner of the province have quick and convenient access to the care they need," said Dawn Gallagher Murphy, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health. "This investment will make it easier and faster for young people in Simcoe County to connect to the care they need closer to home."
