Major funding announcement plus sage advice from hospital CEO

There is a different energy when the premier and the minister of health show up to a funding announcement.

To have Doug Ford and Christine Elliot, along with local MPP David Piccini, handing out major money for Northumberland Hills Hospital and Campbellford Memorial Hospital, is exciting.

After years of penny-pinching, cutbacks, and efficiencies, everyone from the cleaners to the board of directors takes notice.

But as with any funding announcement, there are a lot of numbers to sort through.

What sounds like one thing is often not so clear.

For example, the $5.6 million announced last week is really made up of money the government already said the hospital was going to get last November.

That’s right, the $3.8 million back then makes up the lion’s share. The great news is the government is adding $1 million to that sum. And that is good.

Now, on top of that, there is another lump sum payment the hospital gets every year to compensate for the number of surgeries and other procedures it does. That what brings the total amount to $5.6 million.

So, the new money is $1 million. The rest was already announced or the hospital new it was coming.

I hope that keeps things clear. You will hear these details in the interview. And, you will learn just how beneficial all this money is for the community. There is a lot more to this than just numbers. Here is my conversation with Linda Davis, CEO of Northumberland Hills Hospital.

Originally aired: July 17, 2020

 

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