Statement from Matthews Memorial Hospital Association

NEWS RELEASE

MATTHEWS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

************************* RICHARDS LANDING - Members of the Matthews Memorial Hospital Association board of directors have voted to move forward with a reassessment of their 2003 study by KPMG into the feasibility of constructing of a $6.5 million, 60-bed, semi-dependent care facility on property owned by the association overlooking Richards Landing.

The board has again retained KPMG which will take at stepped approach; first reviewing the original study to confirm the project's continued feasibility, next have undertaken an environmental assessment of the site and finally develop a business plan for the project's implementation and operation.

The association has been encouraged in this latest effort by local politicians at both the federal and provincial level, management of the Sault Area Hospital (SAH) and the Northeast Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) whose March 2009 study - Seniors’ Residential/Housing Options: Capacity Assessment and Projections - forecasts a significant increase in demand for the type of facility proposed.

“The provision of an adequate supply of supportive housing can significantly reduce the need for more expensive long-term care facilities while providing a highly preferred living environment ”, the report says.

The 2003 KPMG study, undertaken in partnership with the Township of St. Joseph, found at that time a 60-bed, non-profit facility could be feasible.

“New funding initiatives, recent changes to program criteria, the LHIN's study results and limited space to redirect alternative level of care patients at SAH make this an opportune time to revisit the project”, says Connie Witty, MMHA chair.

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