Five Counties Children’s Centre is on the receiving end of a $2-million provincial investment.
The funds will help the organization serve more children, youth and families in Haliburton County, Peterborough County, Northumberland County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. It will also help to reduce wait times for children’s treatment services such as speech, occupational and physio therapies, which can be as long as 18 to 24 months in some cases.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith made the announcement in Peterborough as part of the Ontario government’s $330-million investment in pediatric health services for children and youth. The funding works out to an annual increase of $1.714-million for community and school-based rehabilitation, and $310,625 for preschool speech and language services.
“We’re extremely grateful to the Ontario government for this additional investment in children’s treatment services,” says Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties Children’s Centre. “This is a huge win for our kids and families, as it will allow us to see and serve more families to help get them the treatment they need when they need it.”
“Five Counties is a pillar of our community that offers supports to so many children in a variety of ways. Our government is proud to continue to support the Centre’s commitment to improving the lives of those in our communities with their innovative treatment programs,” says Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.
For Five Counties, the new provincial funding is particularly important to retain and recruit its staff, while also allowing it to fill current vacancies and add more clinicians in areas of high-demand services. The overall result will be enhanced services and reduced wait times for families.
“Investing in our staff means we can invest in important treatment services that benefit our kids and families,” says Pepin. “The funding also allows us to be more competitive and an employer of choice, especially to fill hard-to-recruit therapy positions that are often in high demand and short supply.”