Sandfield Place recently received $55.7K from the provincial government’s Local Priorities Fund, which went towards some major equipment upgrades that will benefit residents for years to come.
“The funding allows us to admit a wider range of residents to the facility, so different pre-existing conditions. It also allows us to keep the residents at our facility instead of sending them out to hospital,” explained Samantha Below, Director of Care, “Although the hospital does a very good job taking care of the residents, sometimes it’s disruptive to the residents’ routine having to transfer to the hospital. The funding allows us to keep them here and have different equipment and different diagnostics at the facility, so we don’t have to send them to the hospital.”
The $55,790 granted to Sandfield Place by the Local Priorities Fund covered the cost of the following new equipment:
- Bariatric lift
- Sit to stand lift
- Three overhead lifts
- Bariatric bed with mattress
- Bladder scanner
- Bariatric commode
- Wheelchair scale
Sandfield Place was one of 189 projects funded across Ontario – part of a $2 million dollar initiative operated by Ontario Health to make sure long term care residents have access to services and support without having to be transferred to the hospital.
“We’re so appreciative of when the government throws these initiatives in, it’s just so overwhelming sometimes. It’s great,” said Stephanie Kinnear, Administrator/Owner, “Were so appreciative that they recognize that challenge and that need, and I think that became very apparent during COVID. So now we’re able to take people out of the hospital that we wouldn’t normally be able to take out because we don’t have resources.”
MPP Nolan Quinn and John Jordan, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care toured Sandfield Place as part of the announcement.
“Touring Sandfield Place was a pleasure, it is a beautiful facility” shared MPP Quinn, “Some of the equipment that we have provided will allow the staff to be able to provide the best possible care for the residents. I think having it in the home that they live in is extremely important so that there’s no stress on the residents going to the hospital.”
