Province provides planning grant for Sudbury hospital to expand NEO Kids

The province says it's giving Health Sciences North in Sudbury a grant to help plan the expansion of the NEO Kids and Family Program.

The announcement was made on Friday by Ontario's health minister, Dr. Eric Hoskins and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault.

According to the province, the grant will allow the hospital to bring together pediatric outpatient health and social services on one site, focus more on chronic diseases affecting children and improve services in the region.

It adds the planning grant is worth up to $500,000, but says the money does not mean the hospital has approval to build a children's hospital. It says the grant provides resources for the hospital to work with the LHIN and the province to ensure a project is of appropriate scope and scale.

Improving 'patient care'

"Our government is supporting Health Sciences North in their work to strengthen pediatric services for families throughout northeastern Ontario," Hoskins said.

"Ontario's investment in NEO Kid's plan to expand their delivery of high quality care will ensure more children can receive the health care they need closer to home."

Hospital president and CEO Dominic Giroux says this is a positive step forward for Health Sciences North.

"Today's announcement allows us to proceed with planning for what the physical expansion of this hospital could look like and more importantly, what new services may be introduced for kids and youth to improve patient care," he said.

NEO Kids is proposing to build a 30,000 square foot facility at the hospital. According to HSN, it would be the region's health centre for children.