Latest news with #BillMarra
CTV News
01-08-2025
- Health
- CTV News
New HDGH rehab centre aims to transform outpatient care
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is fundraising for a multi-million-dollar addition that will not receive government funding. CTV Windsor's Ricardo Veneza reports. Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is fundraising for a multi-million-dollar addition that will not receive government funding. CTV Windsor's Ricardo Veneza reports. Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) is expanding its campus and has kicked off a campaign to fund the new facility The hospital is building out a multi-million-dollar addition to its campus focused on its rehabilitation suite of services, and the project is being undertaken without any government funding. The campaign got off to a big money start on Wednesday with the Toldo Foundation donating $1.5-milliond toward the $8.3-million project. 'This outpatient program is really a game changing opportunity for people who have come through perhaps catastrophic events, who've been hospitalized due to injuries, whether it be an amputation, a brain injury or a spinal cord injury,' said HDGH President and CEO, Bill Marra. The newly named Toldo Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre is well under construction and will support over 15,000 patient visits the program sees every year. With new features like exercise equipment, walking track, direct patient drop off, therapy rooms, and a simulated kitchen and bathroom to help patients restore their motor movements and confidence at home. Something Marra says is part of the core promise of HDGH, addressing rehabilitation and mental health. Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare - july 2025 (Source: Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare/Facebook) 'This is the biggest and most significant rehab center of its kind in the region. Our catchment area will go as far as Chatham-Kent. We have programs and services that bring people into them all over Ontario,' he said. Paralympic champion Danielle Campo knows the rehab services all too well, having received care for her surprise muscular dystrophy diagnosis at the hospital. Now chairing the campaign, she says the state-of-the-art centre will mean the world to those on their own journey of recovery. 'You always drive into this parking lot, and you remember when, you know, even my husband and I had to take a little deep breath saying. Whew. This was such a time. And you people can't understand how important this outpatient center will be,' said Campo. Marra is hopeful the doors to the centre can open to provide services as soon as this fall. 'The growth in demand for services is happening organically with an aging population, with more people seeking services and the medical system being as busy as it is,' he said.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Timeline unclear, details still slim on new homelessness addiction treatment hub in Windsor
Social Sharing One of the lead organizations on Windsor's new Homelessness Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub services says "there hasn't been much movement" on the project, but the province says it will be operational in less than two weeks. At the end of January, Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones announced that Windsor would get a HART hub — a bundle of services including new treatment beds, transitional housing and stabilization beds to give people a place to stay as they move into the next phase of their recovery. In an interview, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), a lead agency on the project, told CBC News at the time that an agreement hadn't been finalized and it didn't have many details. But, HDGH CEO Bill Marra had said they intended to finish planning the project before March 31, in time to begin a phased roll-out on April 1. And when asked for an update this week, a spokesperson for HDGH told CBC News that "with the timing of the announcement and the election, there hasn't been much movement." "We continue to await further details from the government and to date, we have received funding confirmation letter. With that said, planning and discussions have been ongoing with partners," reads an emailed statement. They added that they're not able to make the details of the letter public at this time. Yet the province seems to have a different understanding. In an email Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said, "all sites will be operational as of April 1." They continued to say that "The Ministry is continuing to work with all 27 HART Hubs on their multi-year operational budgets." The province hasn't yet responded to a question about what services Windsor-Essex can expect to have available by the beginning of April. At least one HART hub in the province, in Guelph, has confirmed that it won't be open in time because of funding delays. What will Windsor's hub services include? On the provincial government's website, it says that the proposed services for Windsor's HART hub include: Primary care. Mental health and addictions services including assessment, care coordination withdrawal management. Peer support. Mental health and addictions supportive housing. Services to meet basic needs. The website notes that the "primary objective" of the local HART hub is to "divert repeated/inappropriate emergency department visits by providing individuals with more immediate access to help and efficiently using local community resources." Based on previous conversations with HDGH's Marra, these services will be spread across existing organizations. HDGH did not confirm with CBC how much funding it has been approved for, though it previously said it asked to receive $18 million dollars over three years. The provincial government had initially announced the HART hub concept in August 2024, after it decided that it would be closing multiple drug consumption and treatment sites.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Timeline unclear, details still slim on new homelessness addiction treatment hub in Windsor
One of the lead organizations on Windsor's new Homelessness Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub services says "there hasn't been much movement" on the project, but the province says it will be operational in less than two weeks. At the end of January, Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones announced that Windsor would get a HART hub — a bundle of services including new treatment beds, transitional housing and stabilization beds to give people a place to stay as they move into the next phase of their recovery. In an interview, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), a lead agency on the project, told CBC News at the time that an agreement hadn't been finalized and it didn't have many details. But, HDGH CEO Bill Marra had said they intended to finish planning the project before March 31, in time to begin a phased roll-out on April 1. And when asked for an update this week, a spokesperson for HDGH told CBC News that "with the timing of the announcement and the election, there hasn't been much movement." Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the HART hub for Windsor-Essex early 2025. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) "We continue to await further details from the government and to date, we have received funding confirmation letter. With that said, planning and discussions have been ongoing with partners," reads an emailed statement. They added that they're not able to make the details of the letter public at this time. Yet the province seems to have a different understanding. In an email Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said, "all sites will be operational as of April 1." They continued to say that "The Ministry is continuing to work with all 27 HART Hubs on their multi-year operational budgets." The province hasn't yet responded to a question about what services Windsor-Essex can expect to have available by the beginning of April. At least one HART hub in the province, in Guelph, has confirmed that it won't be open in time because of funding delays. What will Windsor's hub services include? On the provincial government's website, it says that the proposed services for Windsor's HART hub include: Primary care. Mental health and addictions services including assessment, care coordination withdrawal management. Peer support. Mental health and addictions supportive housing. Services to meet basic needs. The website notes that the "primary objective" of the local HART hub is to "divert repeated/inappropriate emergency department visits by providing individuals with more immediate access to help and efficiently using local community resources." Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is co-ordinating the effort to create the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC) Based on previous conversations with HDGH's Marra, these services will be spread across existing organizations. HDGH did not confirm with CBC how much funding it has been approved for, though it previously said it asked to receive $18 million dollars over three years. The provincial government had initially announced the HART hub concept in August 2024, after it decided that it would be closing multiple drug consumption and treatment sites. That meant that Windsor's site, SafePoint, which was awaiting provincial funding, was permanently closed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flu cases have more than doubled from last year in Windsor-Essex
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says reported cases of influenza in Windsor-Essex have more than doubled this year, compared to the previous one. Calling it a "significant increase" across the region, officials are reminding the public that respiratory illness season is ongoing and asking people to protect themselves. In a statement, WECHU said local hospitals are seeing a rise in people with the same respiratory symptoms — but that non-emergency concerns shouldn't be directed to emergency departments. Calling it a 'significant increase across Windsor-Essex, officials are reminding residents that respiratory illness season is ongoing and are asking for people to protect themselves. (CBC) According to the health unit, getting vaccinated for the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the "best ways to prevent serious illness and avoid hospital visits." "At Erie Shores HealthCare, we have taken proactive steps to manage the increased demand for care, including expanding our capacity by utilizing unconventional treatment spaces, utilizing the Mobile Medical Clinic on-site, and ensuring our health-care teams are equipped to respond efficiently," said CEO Kristin Kennedy. Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor says it's opened an additional 25 beds since last fall to help deal with the influx of people coming into their care with flu-like symptoms. "I encourage everyone to practise good hygiene, consider wearing a mask while at the hospital, stay home if you are sick and try to limit the number of visitors if you or a family member is hospitalized," said HDGH president Bill Marra.
CBC
21-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Flu cases have more than doubled from last year in Windsor-Essex
Social Sharing The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says reported cases of influenza in Windsor-Essex have more than doubled this year, compared to the previous one. Calling it a "significant increase" across the region, officials are reminding the public that respiratory illness season is ongoing and asking people to protect themselves. In a statement, WECHU said local hospitals are seeing a rise in people with the same respiratory symptoms — but that non-emergency concerns shouldn't be directed to emergency departments. According to the health unit, getting vaccinated for the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the "best ways to prevent serious illness and avoid hospital visits." "At Erie Shores HealthCare, we have taken proactive steps to manage the increased demand for care, including expanding our capacity by utilizing unconventional treatment spaces, utilizing the Mobile Medical Clinic on-site, and ensuring our health-care teams are equipped to respond efficiently," said CEO Kristin Kennedy. Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor says it's opened an additional 25 beds since last fall to help deal with the influx of people coming into their care with flu-like symptoms. "I encourage everyone to practise good hygiene, consider wearing a mask while at the hospital, stay home if you are sick and try to limit the number of visitors if you or a family member is hospitalized," said HDGH president Bill Marra.
