Picton Manor on Hill Street closed its doors in 2012 and the County has been actively working to regain 78 Long-Term Care beds lost in the closure. (Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber/Quinte News
It’s back to the drawing board on the H.J. McFarland Home rebuild now that Prince Edward County’s proposal to regain 78 long term care beds lost with the closure of Picton Manor has been rejected. A rejection that could have major financial implications for the County if plans aren’t tweaked said a disappointed Mayor Robert Quaiff.
Picton Manor nursing home closed its doors in 2012 due to the financial and physical state of the Hill Street building. The closure forced 57 residents to find homes elsewhere and put 90 employees in search of work. Those beds fell under the control of the provincial government.
The County then put an application through to the South East Local Health Integration Network to get 12 – 20 of those beds back by putting them into the McFarland design. The new municipally run facility is slated to be rebuilt in 2025 as it falls in line with the County’s Age In Place Concept. The vast plan that doesn’t yet have a price tag attached includes amenities such as: a hospital, medical clinic, nursing home units, townhouse dwellings and park space.
Quaiff said LHIN CEO Paul Huras informed him on Wednesday that the County wouldn’t be receiving any of those beds and they would be distributed throughout the South Eastern Ontario region.
He said he’s not giving up.
Quaiff said the decision doesn’t make any sense considering the County has the second highest senior demographic in Ontario and the numbers are rising, expected to put the municipality in top spot by 2036. He said he was told that due to the low statistics of seniors 75 and over their proposal was denied.
While the announcement hasn’t been made official from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Quaiff said the decision will fall back on the public purse as the current rebuild plan includes 126 beds and right now they have 86 in their possession.
Quaiff said he has written Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins voicing his and council’s concerns.
Chief Administrative Officer James Hepburn told Quinte News it’s still too early to determine how much of a financial problem this could cause. He confirmed that without those added beds, as the design stands now it will affect operating costs that will ultimately fall back on taxpayers.
He said staff is still working on its application to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and estimate it will be submitted in August.
