Province providing $68.5 million for continuing care, addiction treatment facility operators

The province says it will be doling out $68.5 million aimed at helping staff and residents of continuing care and residential addiction and mental health treatment facilities.

The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon by Premier Jason Kenney, who says the money will support operators of non-contracted licensed supportive living, as well as contracted and non-contracted home care, hospices and residential addiction and mental health treatment centres to pay for increased staffing, additional PPE and cleaning supplies, or other items needed to help protect residents from COVID-19.

“We must do everything possible to protect vulnerable Albertans and the workers supporting them from COVID-19,” said Kenney.

The funding that will be made available to those operators providing these services varies by sector, and the province will be calculating the amount dished out based on the number of spaces in each facility or on an hourly basis for home care.