EOWC Releases Review of Eastern Ontario Long-Term Care Facilities

Eastern Ontario, February 1, 2021 – The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) has today released a comprehensive two-part review of Eastern Ontario Long-Term Care Facilities – a critical part of its advocacy and research in 2020 and 2021.

In order to be proactive and better positioned to inform Provincial discussions, the EOWC engaged a consultant to develop an independent report that provides a current state analysis for the municipally operated long-term care sector in Eastern Ontario.

The EOWC then leveraged this information to develop 5 key recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of long-term care service delivery including:

1. Increase direct care funding to achieve the Provincial benchmark of the four hours of care model;
2. Transition to a per bed funding model to increase clarity, efficiency, and transparency of the funding process; 
3. Increase Provincial capital funding predictability and provide on-going support for capital maintenance;
4. Promote and support resource sharing between long-term care homes; and
5. Improvement in long-term care processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

In total, EOWC members currently own and operate 15 long-term care facilities, representing 2,386 licenced beds. The COVID-19 pandemic placed a spotlight on a number of pre-existing challenges that have been pervasive in Ontario’s long-term care sector for many years. The EOWC is committed to working closely with the Province and other key stakeholders in order to create a world-class long-term care system.

The Caucus had the opportunity to discuss the findings, impacts and recommendations of the comprehensive review with the Honourable Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, as part of the 2021 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference from January 25 to 26. The EOWC has also provided a formal submission to Ontario’s COVID-19 Long-Term Care Commission.

“Long-term care is a key priority for the Caucus and EOWC Members are vital partners in the delivery of long-term care,” stated EOWC Chair Debbie Robinson. “When I think of long-term care and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our residents and families, we must ensure that systemic issues that have been identified across the sector are addressed. The EOWC has demonstrated that we are a willing partner and are able to provide on-the-ground leadership to implement changes.”

To access the two-part review, please visit the briefing notes section of the EOWC’s website.

About the EOWC: Since its inception, the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) has worked to support and advocate on behalf of the 750,000 property taxpayers across rural Eastern Ontario. The EOWC covers an area of 45,000 square kilometres from Cobourg to the Quebec border, and includes 13 upper-tier and single-tier municipalities as well as 90 local municipalities. All members work together as a team, striving to ensure that conditions are in place to make Eastern Ontario the greatest place in the world to reside and do business.