The new Saugeen Valley long-term care home, tentatively named Strathcona Long Term Care, has received a 25-year funding agreement from the province.
Dignitaries and residents met on Sept. 9 in the dining room of the current home to hear the announcement and look at plans for the new facility, which is to be located adjacent to the current location on Princess and Dublin streets.
“Today we wanted to officially make the public announcement that Saugeen Valley is going to be rebuilt,” said Peter Schlegal, president of Sharon Village Care Homes, which oversees the Saugeen Valley Nursing Home.
He explained the current building once was used as the Mount Forest community hospital before becoming a care home.
“This facility has served the community extremely, extremely well,” he said.
He added that he hopes to have a shovel in the ground by spring/summer of 2017 and the doors open 18 months to two years later.
Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile officially announced the partnership.
“We are approving for redevelopment as part of Ontario’s enhanced long term care home renewal strategy, we are going to be renovating 87 rooms here to ensure that you have a lovely place to live,” she said.
“The government recognizes the important role that long term care homes, like Saugeen Valley, play in providing quality care to our most vulnerable residents.”
She added residents will benefit from a new environment with additional space for programs like rehab and physiotherapy, better wheelchair access in bedroom, bathrooms, showers and doorways, more spacious rooms and more air conditioned areas.
Bruce Lauckner, CEO of the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network (WWLHIN), said the staff of Saugeen Valley made it feel like a home.
He explained the region has “some of the highest quality of care in the province.”
He added, “We receive higher quality care in long-term care than both the provincial average and the national average.”
Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox also spoke at the announcement.
“Thank you to the provincial government again for seeing the vision that this is the type of care we need in our rural communities,” he said.
The new facility will have 87-beds and while Schelgal would not give an exact building cost, he said he did not want to exceed $187,000 per bed.
Blair Philippi, manager of health system integration with WWLHIN, explained the funding is based on the number of residents in a facility.
“The Ministry of Health provides funding through an agreement to the home and the home builds the building and then over 25 years funding is flowed to the home,” he said.
“It’s approximately $17 per resident per day for 25 years.”
Philippi added the government funding will match the budget number for construction.
