The Minister of Health announced the groundbreaking of a new Reactivation Care Centre in Hamilton on August 12, 2024 at St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas. With $16.7 million in funding from the Ministry of Health, the Reactivation Care Centre will connect more people to restorative and specialty care closer to home.

“Our government is making historic investments in Ontario’s health care system to expand access to care and make it faster and easier for people to connect to the care they need, closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The new Reactivation Care Centre will ensure more patients and their families in the Hamilton area are connected to the care and support they need, for years to come.”

Reactivation care is an innovative model of care that provides people with a place to continue their recovery when they no longer require hospital care, but require additional time and/or therapeutic intervention before they can safely return home, to long-term care or to other community-based care. The Centre is one of a number of ways that partners — led by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton in collaboration with St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas and Hamilton Health Sciences — are working together to provide community-based solutions designed for patients who no longer require hospital care.

“This Reactivation Care Centre offers a unique opportunity to provide a continuity of care to patients who need more time to recover, while freeing up much-needed space in our hospital to provide acute care to more patients, faster,” said Mike Heenan, President, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. “We are so grateful to the Province for recognizing this need and for their investment into our community.”

Once opened, the 28,000 square-foot centre located at St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas will include 57 transitional care beds across three units to connect people to a variety of reactivation care needs, including complex care, dementia care services and behavioural support services. The new facility will also have four rooms with dialysis services, allowing more patients to access convenient, on-site hemodialysis treatment.

“Our community needs more options for people who require supportive care. This remarkable investment and partnership will add beds to our community where patients can regain their strength to safely return home or back to their community,” said John Woods, Interim President of St. Joseph’s Villa Dundas.

By moving patients out of hospitals into a new environment where they can continue their recovery in a home-like setting with supports, the Reactivation Care Centre provides more appropriate care for individuals before they transition to their next step. The care team will focus on supporting patients in resuming their routines, restoring their functional abilities and independence, preventing deconditioning and facilitating return home or to a different supportive care setting.

“Healthcare in our region will be more accessible for all because of this initiative. More capacity in our region to transition patients out of hospital helps our services and teams function more effectively. Hamilton Health Sciences is proud to be a partner in this vital project,” said Tracey MacArthur, President and CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences.