Sally Ann hospital to stay in the family
TORONTO, ON—The Salvation Army will continue to own and operate a palliative hospital in downtown Toronto, after the Ontario government pledged funds to keep the ailing structure alive.
John Murray, spokesperson for The Salvation Army, says the Toronto Grace Health Centre needs an estimated $15 million in repairs which includes removing asbestos, installing sprinklers and replacing aging drainpipes.
The Salvation Army has operated the hospital for more than 100 years. They recently advised the government they no longer thought it was feasible for them to run the hospital, prompting a search for a new owner of the facility. But after a flurry of reaction by press and politicians, the provincial government stepped in and offered to fund the repairs.
"The Salvation Army will continue to own and operate the Toronto Grace Hospital going forward as we have for the last 100 years," Murray says.
He said the government announcement was met with celebration by hospital staff.
"For us as an organization it's a renewing commitment to health care excellence in the city of Toronto," he says. "The Salvation Army is absolutely delighted to continue to provide extraordinary health care services to the patients and their families who rely on Toronto Grace Health Centre, and certainly that extends to our staff, volunteers and board of trustees as well."
Toronto Grace is now one of just two hospitals run by The Salvation Army in Canada.
"The Salvation Army made a strategic corporate decision over a decade ago to remove itself from the governance of hospitals, whenever there were regional or philosophical reasons to do so," says Murray. "The safety, security and long term operating of this facility was in jeopardy because of the long term infrastructure."
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