Operators of continuing care, supported living, mental health and addictions residential treatment facilities are getting a financial break from the Alberta government to help them cover the added costs of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday that the government was giving a one-time payment of $68.5 million to the sector, which has seen the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in the province, as well as a significant portion of infections.
The money is available to operators across the province, and is being divided up as follows:
- $48 million has been promised to non-contracted licensed continuing care facilities in the province, which are not funded by the government, and have had to “bear considerable costs.” Kenney said that money will go toward roughly 20,000 units.
- $10 million will go to those providing “vital” home-care services, who have incurred additional costs for things like additional cleaning measures, PPE and extra staff time
- $1 million will be given out to residential community hospices
- $10 million will go toward supporting residential addictions and mental health facilities to cover both added costs and lost revenue from unused beds
“It’s critical that these services continue to be available to Albertans who need them,” Kenney said. “In addition to huge increases in the numbers of people whose mental health is negatively impacted by COVID-19, Alberta is also experiencing, as we know, high rates of opioid overdose deaths.”
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said the government has heard from operators that are facing these added financial burdens, who have reported their residents are concerned the increased operating costs will translate to increased fees for their accommodations.
“No continuing care resident should worry that they’ll have to use their retirement savings to support additional costs associated with the pandemic,” Shandro said.
He said Alberta will continue to protect the residences and residents, and continue to work to ease the financial burden they continue to face.
Along with the one-time funding announcement, Shandro said the province is bringing back the affordable supportive living initiative to both build new facilities and do so faster, which will allow more Albertans to live safely with the care they need in the communities they call home.
According to Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Richard Gotfried, who leads the advisory panel reviewing continuing care facilities in the province, the money will be a much-needed break in the clouds for facilities.
“The added costs operators have had to absorb, until now, are not for extras. These were to keep providing essential services during the pandemic and to keep residents safe,” he said.
Kenney said this funding doesn’t have an impact on Alberta’s ability to access federal funding meant to top up wages for front-line workers, and said the province is “not leaving money on the table” when it comes to COVID-19 relief.
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