McGuinty Government Invests in enhanced safety for health care workers…

The McGuinty government is improving the health and safety of the province’s health care workers by investing in safer medical equipment and safety-engineered needles at all Ontario hospitals, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.
“Our government recognizes that nurses and other health care providers do vital work for Ontarians and we are supporting them in their daily efforts,” said Smitherman. “Our investment will help to protect our front-line workers by making safer needles and medical equipment available in our hospitals. This is vital to reducing the number of injuries and infectious disease transmission among workers.”
The McGuinty government is investing $11.6 million to help hospitals move away from needles, where appropriate, by supporting more top-of-the-line needle-less systems like newer IV connectors. This funding will also enable hospitals to purchase blunt suture needles to replace sharp ones, as well as replace glass blood collection tubes with safer and more durable plastic ones.
“Today’s announcement is a reflection of Ontario’s commitment to making workplaces safer for our front-line health workers,” said Minister of Labour Chris Bentley. “We’re investing today in our health care workers to make sure that our hospitals are safe environments for those who work there.”
Today’s announcement is part of the McGuinty government’s comprehensive plan to improve health care in Ontario. It’s a plan that includes reducing wait times for key procedures, creating Family Health Teams, increasing the number of doctors and nurses, and investing heavily in community-based health care in order to ease the pressure on hospitals and deliver care where people need it most.

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IMPROVING ACCESS TO SAFER MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

The McGuinty government is improving the health and safety for Ontario’s front-line nurses and health care workers by investing $11.6 million in top-of-the-line medical equipment and safer syringes. This investment means that hospitals will be able to move away from needles, where appropriate, by supporting more top-of-the-line needle-less systems. This funding will also enable hospitals to purchase blunt suture needles to replace sharp ones, as well as replace glass blood collection tubes with safer and more durable plastic ones.

Area Hospitals Funding Amounts:

CHAPLEAU Health Services $ 7,200
HORNEPAYNE Community $ 2,400
MANITOUWADGE General Hospital $ 3,600
MARATHON Wilson Memorial General $ 6,000
SAULT Area Hospital $ 113,800
WAWA Lady Dunn Health Centre $ 4,000

Ontario Government