Pediatric health service organizations in Waterloo region and Guelph are getting close to $7.7 million in additional annual funding from the province to support local programs and services designed to provide care for children and youth.
The funding announcement was made at the Kidsability Centre for Child Development in Waterloo on Monday and includes more than $4 million for KidsAbility, $2.6 million for Grand River Hospital, and just over $1 million for the Guelph Community Health Centre.
The funding will be used to increase access to children’s rehabilitation services including speech-language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy at the KidsAbility Centre for Child Development, which has a location on Langs Drive in Cambridge.
"Children’s health is integrally linked to development, learning, mental health and well-being,” said KidsAbility CEO Jennifer Foster in a press release. “What happens in a child’s life has implications across the lifespan.”
At GRH, the funding will increase the number of children and youth who can be seen, triaged and cared for on-site by supporting a rapid assessment clinic to connect families to care in the right place instead of going to emergency departments. It will also increase access to pediatric surgeries close to home.
Funding for the Guelph Community Health CentreSupport will be used to increase access to pregnancy, birth, and post-partum care for underserved communities, by expanding midwifery programs and services.
