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January 13, 2006
Regional Cancer Care, the integrated cancer program at the
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), today
received the news that the cancer program in Northwestern
Ontario will be the recipient of $1.2 million dollars in annualized
funding.
This announcement is the culmination of the Regional Cancer
Centre capital project. The Post-Construction Operating Plan
(PCOP), entered into by the TBRHSC, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO),
and the Ministry of Health (MOHLTC), aligns new clinical activity
commitments with an approved facility functional program.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has previously provided
the capital funding necessary to build the expanded cancer
centre. This new investment is a response to the operating
request put forward by CCO and the TBRHSC in the 2004/05 fiscal
year and is directly aligned with the operating costs associated
with the 21,000 sq ft facility enhancement that is found at
the new TBRHSC - Regional Cancer Care site. The new centre
allows for enhanced clinical capacity in the lodge and systemic
therapy areas.
The provincial government's investment to enhance cancer
services in Northwestern Ontario is a timely and much needed
action, especially in light of the current balanced budget
process. "This investment will have a direct impact on
people's lives in the Northwest," said Michael Gravelle,
MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North. "This will make life
a little bit easier for people suffering from cancer and their
families, by providing them with faster treatment and care."
This PCOP funding will be provided to the TBRHSC for as long
as it operates a comprehensive cancer program.
With this new infusion of funding, the cancer program at
TBRHSC will be able to increase its focus on some of the areas
of cancer treatment and service access. "We are extremely
pleased with this funding announcement," said Ron Saddington,
President & CEO of TBRHSC. "These new funds will
allow us to continue to improve access to our cancer services
to the people of Northwestern Ontario, as well as continue
to reduce our wait times for cancer treatments and surgeries."
The majority of the new funding will focus on systemic therapy
and the increases in patient volumes at the TBayTel Tamarack
House. It will provide funding for close to 1,200 additional
Chemotherapy treatment visits, as well as funding for an additional
assessment, follow-up, and other related visits. "We
have experienced close to a 100% increase in clinical volume
over the past eight years," said Michael Power, Vice
President, Regional Cancer and Diagnostic Services for CCO
and TBRHSC. "These new investments will increase our
operating budget by ten percent, which will allow us to continue
to respond to annual increases in clinical activity and will
ensure we offer high quality care within expert panel recommended
wait time standards."
From a clinical perspective, the funding will assist the
cancer program in meeting its challenges with offering the
latest and most effective drug therapies, and reducing wait
times even further, providing for the new surgical oncology
agenda, and providing funding for TBayTel Tamarack House.
"To meet our clinical and volume demands, we have recently
enjoyed great success in our recruitment efforts for our oncology
team, bringing our complement up to eleven, after the arrival
of our newest radiation oncologist," stated Dr. Dimitrios
Vergidis, Chief of Oncology at TBRHSC. "With this new
PCOP funding, we can ensure that our efforts are being concentrated
on building improved and accessible programs for our local
and regional communities, and continue to drive our agenda
to maintain and improve our wait times, treatment options,
and quality care standards."
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