Niagara Health closing Welland long-term care home after licence expires in June

Niagara Health announced Wednesday will not be renewing the operating licence for the long-term care home in Welland after it expires in June.

That means the home found on Third Street in Welland will close after all residents have safely moved to other homes.

The extended care unit featured a 75-bed long-term care facility alongside a 40-bed interim long-term care unit.

The home has served Niagara residents for over 50 years, but staff said in a statement that “the building no longer meets modern long-term care safety and accessibility standards.”

Niagara Health says they are working with the Ministry of Long-Term Care, Ontario Health atHome and regional long-term care providers to support families.

The home will remain open and fully staffed throughout the transition period, with no plans to leave any resident behind.

READ MORE: Ontario government approves renovation of Welland hospital

The home stopped admitting new residents as of Wednesday.

“Our focus is on making sure residents and families feel supported and informed throughout this process,” said Simon Akinsulie, executive vice-president of Practice, Clinical Support and Chief Nursing Executive in the statement. “Care will continue in the home until every resident has successfully transitioned.”

The healthcare provider says it is working with unions in accordance with collective agreements to support impacted staff.

This follows after dozens of healthcare workers and their supporters drove across the Niagara region in December in protest against the provider’s announcement to cut nearly 100 jobs in the hospital network.

Niagara Health says that there remains potential for a long-term care home to be built on the Welland site as part of the future campus of care redevelopment.

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