Health Care Enhancements Announced for St. Anthony

  • Executive Council
  • Health and Community Services

April 10, 2019

The Provincial Government today announced a number of health care enhancements for the St. Anthony region.

This includes the addition of eight new long-term care beds at the Dr. Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony. The new beds will help address the waitlist for long-term care and the high number of alternate level of care patients in the region. The new long-term care beds will open once renovations are complete and staff have been hired by Labrador-Grenfell Health.

These new long-term care beds will be in addition to the 47 long-term care beds and 32 cottages at the John M. Gray Centre in St. Anthony.

In addition, Labrador-Grenfell Health will be adding two personal care attendant positions to their Home First team. These personal care attendants will work with clients with complex care needs in their own homes. Recruitment for these positions will begin in the coming weeks.

A new primary health care team will also be established in St. Anthony. The approach will be consistent with the successful primary health care teams already in place in Bonavista and Grand Bank. The team will build on the work already being done by primary health care practitioners in the region and will be developed in consultation with the community and health care providers. The Department of Health and Community Services has already engaged residents and municipalities to begin this process.

These health care enhancements deliver on commitments in The Way Forward to deliver better services and better outcomes for residents. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified province with a high standard of living. The Way Forward can be viewed at: thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.

Quotes
“Community engagement is essential. Today’s announcement demonstrates just that. We want to continue working with residents and the regional health authority to ensure health policies, programs and services are tailored to community needs.”
Honourable Dwight Ball
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

“We are pleased to provide new positions to help people remain in their own homes in St. Anthony and the surrounding communities. The new long-term care beds will improve access for seniors and their families when their own home is no longer an option. I also look forward to the implementation of a new primary health care team for the region as the model has already had considerable success in other areas of the province.”
Honourable John Haggie
Minister of Health and Community Services

“The Great Northern Peninsula has advanced health care services, which are essential for the social and economic well-being of people in the region. I’m delighted as MHA to see further investment made today which reinforces that government is listening and making decisions based on evidence for our health care needs.”
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation and MHA for St. Barbe – L’Anse aux Meadows

“Labrador-Grenfell Health has been engaging with communities on the Northern Peninsula and Southern Labrador to understand health needs. Healthy aging has been at the forefront of discussions. Through collaboration with the Provincial Government, we strive to improve health care for residents across our region. We are confident the additional long-term care beds in St. Anthony and enhancements to support Home First will serve the population well.”
Heather Brown
President and CEO, Labrador-Grenfell Health

– 30 –

Learn more
The Way Forward

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNLexternal link icon and @HCS_GovNLexternal link icon

Media contacts
Erin Sulley
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
erinsulley@gov.nl.ca

Kathy Dicks-Peyton
Health and Community Services
709-729-6986, 699-1982
kathydickspeyton@gov.nl.ca

Lavinia Crisby
Constituency Assistant to
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, MHA for St. Barbe – L’Anse aux Meadows
709-454-2633
laviniacrisby@gov.nl.ca

Amanda MacNeil
Labrador-Grenfell Health
709-897-3102, 899-1074
amanda.macneil@lghealth.ca

2019 04 10 2:40 pm