Along with all of the conversation of COVID-19, Quinte Health Care’s board of directors also approved the operating and capital financial plans for the upcoming business year.
The expectation is for the operating plan, which totals about $200 million, to be balanced pending a promised $5 million top up in funding from the province and for a spend of $6.5 million in capital needs in 2020-2021.
QHC CEO Mary Clare Egberts says those numbers could change based on the ongoing pandemic.
A report from Board Treasurer John Kearns notes that funding sources to meet the $6.5 million needed for capital projects “have not yet been fully secured”.
Egberts added that the operating budget includes some money aimed at addressing overcrowding issues in the four hospitals.
She says adding more beds seems like a good idea, but that’s not sustainable and the trend in healthcare is shifting toward more care in the community from doctors, clinics and other agencies.
