A brand new Hillside Manor is one of four Perth-Wellington long-term care homes approved for a combined 166 new beds and 282 upgraded beds, Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece announced Friday.
Four Perth-Wellington long term-care homes, including a brand new Hillside Manor, have been approved for a combined 166 new beds and 282 upgraded beds, Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece announced Friday.
During a virtual announcement, Pettapiece said 36 new beds and 60 upgraded beds have been allocated to Wildwood Care Center in St. Marys, 48 new beds and 80 upgraded beds will go to Caressant Care Arthur, 44 new beds and 52 upgraded beds will go to Caressant Care Listowel, and 38 new beds and 90 upgraded beds have been allocated to Hillside Manor in Perth East.
“Our residents, their families and our staff will be thrilled with today’s news. … We’re looking forward to working with MPP Pettapiece and his team and with the City of Stratford and the region to get started on the process of building the new Hillside Manor,” said JP Cadeau, president of Revera Canada, the company that owns and operates Hillside Manor.
“For us, the 38 new beds … along with the upgrade of the existing 90 beds, means that we will be able to expand access to care for area seniors in a beautiful, new 128-bed home. Investing in new, purpose-built long-term care will enhance the safety and comfort for residents and improve the working environment for our dedicated staff.”
Gift said the project is still in its early stages and a location has yet to be decided for the new Hillside Manor long-term care home.
In 2017, Revera applied to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to relocate its 90 long-term care beds at the aging Hillside Manor to another facility in London, which would have closed the Perth East facility. The move prompted a loud outcry from area residents, their family members, staff, and both local and provincial politicians around the need for more beds in Perth County and the impact relocating 90 beds would have on surrounding communities.
Ultimately, the ministry announced the beds would stay in Perth County and Hillside Manor would remain open. Following that decision, Revera leadership remained tight lipped about how it would address the issues around aging infrastructure at Hillside Manor that led the company to apply to relocate the beds to London in the first place.
Friday’s announcement of new beds, which is part of the Ontario government’s pledge to invest $6.4 billion in building 30,000 new long-term care beds and 28,000 upgraded beds across the province by 2028, comes after an earlier announcement in January that the shuttered peopleCare Stratford would be rebuilt as a brand new 160-bed care home.
“I have always spoken up for our local long-term care homes and it is very encouraging that the government is delivering the beds we need,” Pettapiece said. “More seniors will get the care they need. This will remain a major priority for us.”