Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer for Quinte Health Care, Brad Harrington.(Photo: John Spitters / Quinte News).
It’s not perfect, but the provincial government has listened to the concerns of Quinte Health Care management
and there’s some good news when it comes to the province’s funding of QHC and its four hospitals.
The Ministry of Health, in concert with the Southeast Local Health Integration Network, has changed its funding
formula and has stopped favouring high growth areas, such as Durham, over low growth areas, such as Quinte, when it comes to funding hospitals.
Quinte Health Care’s Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Brad Harrington says the change was a very positive one and will help stabilize yearly funding from the province for QHC.
A second change in the the province’s funding formula means QHC will no longer be classified as a large hospital, but instead as a medium or multi-site hospital. Again, according to CFO Harrington, this means more funding for the organization.
The province has added $3.2 million dollars to Quinte Health Care’s 2018/19 operating budget, and Harrington says that increase would only be $2.7 million if the formula changes hadn’t been made. The budget totals around $206 million dollars.
However, QHC management doesn’t believe the funding situation is now perfect. Harrington says officials still believe the formula is shortchanging QHC to some extent.
Meetings are planned between Quinte Health Care and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Southeast LHIN in coming months to discuss the matter more.
Vice-President Harrington stresses that talks between QHC and the senior organizations have always been positive and that a very good working relationship has been forged.
