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Welland Hospital’s long-term care home, operating in the region for more than 50 years, is closing this summer, Niagara Health has announced.
The home, which has currently has 87 residents, is in a building that doesn’t meet safety standards and Niagara Health says renovations are “not feasible.”
Niagara Health said on Feb. 4 that the hospital’s extended care and interim long-term care units will close in June.
Jennifer Dubé helps care for a resident in the long-term care unit. She has power of attorney for her father’s girlfriend, 70-year-old Sandra Barwell, who has been living at the unit since 2022.
And while Dubé and others were first concerned about the short notice, once she heard more details about the closure during a virtual town hall, she says she understands the decision.
“This does need to be done for the safety of all the residents,” Dubé told CBC News.
According to Niagara Health, the home, which was built in 1971, “no longer meets modern long-term care safety and accessibility standards.”
The building “does not have a full sprinkler system, which is now a requirement for long-term care homes,” Niagara Health told CBC in an email.
The units are connected to the hospital but operate “under different standards and serve different populations,” Niagara Health said.
The regional healthcare provider says the decision was not made to cut costs, but that it would be unfeasible to make the structural changes required to fulfill current safety long-term care requirements due to the outdated “mechanical infrastructure and design” of the building.
Residents to be relocated
Niagara Health says it has one of the few hospitals in Ontario with a long-term care home. With the operating licence for the home coming up in June, it decided not to renew.
Ontario Health’s long-term care placement group atHome is now tasked with helping residents find home-care options with other regional long-term care providers that meet their medical needs and preferences.
Residents affected by the closure or with complex needs will be given priority, according to Niagara Health.
“The home will remain open until the last resident has moved,” said Niagara Health. New patients are also no longer being admitted.
If there are still residents who have not been placed by June, the regional healthcare provider says operations and staff care will extend until September 2026 — granted by Ontario’s Ministry of Long-Term Care.
MPP concerned about long-term care waitlists
Jeff Birch, MPP for Niagara Centre, said the announcement is “deeply concerning.”
He said the decision “only worsens the impact of the healthcare crisis in Welland and across Niagara amid a severe shortage of LTC beds… With our community’s long-term care waitlist numbers already soaring, it is profoundly irresponsible of this provincial government to not have a plan in place for our community.”
Dubé meanwhile said she felt some relief after hearing the next steps, which include daily visits from Ontario Health atHome coordinators to speak with each of the 87 long-term care residents.
“I depend on that care,” said Dubé, adding they are now on waitlists for other care homes. “[Barwell] depends 100 per cent on staff for her care.”
Barwell uses a wheelchair requiring a two-person lift and is diabetic. Dubé says it gives her peace of mind that Barwell is living in a 24-hour care setting with emergency care nearby and not home alone.
Still, she’ll miss the staff, she said.
“It makes me want to cry because they’re like family,” Dubé said. “They’ve taken such good care of the person that I’m responsible for … I’m sad that she’s not going to maybe see that staff again.”
According to Niagara Health, there will be no immediate staff changes at the long-term care unit, which will remain fully staffed in the months before closing.
Niagara Health is working with unions to discuss what’s next for impacted staff in respect to their collective agreements, it said.
“A key priority for us is retaining and increasing long-term care beds in Welland,” wrote Welland Mayor Frank Campion in a statement shared on Facebook.
“The city will work closely with our partners to support efforts that help affected workers through this period of uncertainty,” Campion added.
- If you or a loved one are impacted by the upcoming closure, we’d like to hear from you. Email [email protected].
