CHATHAM — Construction is underway at St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre, a redeveloped long-term care home in Chatham-Kent. This is part of the Ontario government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
“Congratulations to St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre on their ground-breaking for an upgraded, modernized home. Our government is fixing long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today marks a significant milestone for Chatham-Kent. When construction is completed, 160 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.”
The new 160-bed home will be built on a new site in Chatham and will provide 61 new and 99 upgraded beds in private and semi-private rooms. St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre is a redevelopment of the previously named Meadow Park Nursing Home and is expected to welcome its first residents by spring 2026. The new building will feature larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centred around five ‘resident home areas’, each of which creates a more intimate and familiar living space with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms for up to 32 residents.
Today, along with @TrevorJonesCKL, I had the honour to announce the start of construction of another long-term care home, this time in Chatham.
After decades of delay and inaction, we’re getting it done.
Our seniors deserve to live in safe, modern, state-of-the-art homes. pic.twitter.com/2CIsJxbiL8
— Paul Calandra (@PaulCalandra) July 24, 2023
Once completed, the home will also be part of a campus of care, which helps integrate the long-term care home into the broader health care system and ensures residents can conveniently connect to the care they need.
In addition to projects like St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre in Chatham, Ontario is supporting another two projects in Chatham-Kent, including the development of long-term care homes in Chatham and Blenheim. These three projects will provide 84 new and 268 upgraded long-term care beds, for a total of 352 beds built to modern design standards.
The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.
Quick Facts
- The Ontario government is on track to build 30,000 much-needed new long-term care beds in the province by 2028, and is redeveloping older beds to modern design standards. Through a $6.4 billion investment, Ontario has 31,705 new and 28,648 upgraded beds in the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process. This will help increase overall bed capacity, address long-term care waitlists and hallway health care, and provide our seniors with the care they deserve.
- Building more modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors is part of the Government of Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
- The province is taking innovative steps to get long-term care homes built, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
- The Ontario government is providing a supplemental increase to the construction funding subsidy to stimulate the start of construction by August 31, 2023 for more long-term care homes across the province, including the St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre project. Not-for-profit homes have the option to receive a portion of the funding as an up-front construction grant payable at the start of construction. The supplemental increase is part of the funding for long-term care home development.
- As of April 2023, more than 40,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 123 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
Quotes
“This investment is not merely about erecting bricks and mortar; it represents the embodiment of hope, dignity, and unwavering support for our most vulnerable. It signifies a collective dedication to fostering a brighter future for our elders, who have long graced our communities with their wisdom and experience. As construction unfolds, it heralds the realization of the Ontario government’s unwavering commitment to care for those who have cared for us.”
– Trevor Jones
MPP for Chatham-Kent—Leamington
“Today, in breaking ground, this is a tangible step forward in the redevelopment of our Meadow Park Community from 99 to 160 licensed beds. We will begin to transplant our strong roots so we are built on a firm, solid foundation as we transition from Meadow Park to St. Angela’s Meadow Care Centre.”
– Anne-Marie Rumble
Administrator, Meadow Park Nursing Home
SOURCE Province of Ontario
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