Pettapiece calls for more beds, staff for long term care facilities

QUEEN’S PARK - Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece once again voiced his support for local long-term care homes—including the need for new beds and more dedicated staff.

In a statement in the Ontario legislature this week, Pettapiece said, “In June I spoke about the people working so hard in our long-term-care homes. I thanked them for rising to the enormous challenge of COVID-19.

“More challenges are still ahead of us. Many more of us will need long-term care. We’ll need more staff: PSWs, nurses, administrators, activity coordinators, volunteers and many others. We’ll need modern, accessible buildings, because these buildings are the residents’ home. We’ll need them in the cities, in small towns and in the country, and all of them will need to be prepared for future pandemics.

“For all these reasons, our government is focused on the future of long-term care. We gave the go-ahead to projects like the new West Perth Village Seniors’ Community. New beds are also coming to Knollcrest, Royal Terrace and Strathcona. But there’s much more to do.

“I want to thank the long-term-care operators who have put in applications for new beds in Perth–Wellington.

“Working with all long-term-care operators—for-profit, not-for-profit, and municipal homes—we can meet this moment. We can build the future of long-term care in Perth–Wellington and across Ontario.”