MIDLAND -- Like many medium-sized hospitals in our region, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) in Midland operates at - or above - 100 percent capacity.
The hospital has funding for 113 beds, but that doesn't always meet the need.
"We are running on average 121 beds, so we are not funded for that difference, and it's putting a lot of financial pressure on the hospital to support those services," explained GBGH president and CEO, Gail Hunt.
The CEO expects a six-million-dollar deficit by the end of the fiscal year, in March, and said that would be tacked on to last year's deficit.
The province has committed $68 million in one-time funding on top of annual budget increases to support small and medium-sized hospitals across Ontario.
GBGH's share was $1.27 million, not nearly enough to address inflation, population growth and the changing demographics in the region.
"It's like a faucet you can't turn off when a patient comes through those doors," said Hunt. "We have to be the one to serve them."
The Ontario Hospital Association said high-quality hospital services are now at risk and is calling for the province to increase base funding to hospitals by 4.85 percent or $922 million this year.
On Wednesday, 20 to 50 patients were waiting for beds at Orillia's Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH), which operates at above 100 percent capacity.
So far, the hospital has managed to balance its budget, but any surge in patient numbers could change that.
"There is an inherent lag in the funding the way it's provided, so we will not be funded for the current volumes we are seeing in our organization," Carmine Stumpo, OSMH.
According to the Ontario Hospital Association, the number of hospital beds in the province has not changed in 20 years, but the population hs grown by three million people.
