This is an opinion column by Niagara Health CEO and President Lynn Guerriero and Executive Vice-President, Practice, Clinical Support & Chief Nursing Executive Simon Akinsulie, originally published in the Niagara dailies.
For more than 50 years, Niagara Health’s long-term care home at the Welland Hospital site has been a place of comfort, familiarity and community. Generations of residents have called it home. Staff have built deep relationships there. Families have entrusted us with the care of people they love.
That is why the decision not to rebuild the home and therefore not to renew the home’s long-term care licence was one of the hardest decisions we have had to make.
It was also the responsible one.
This was not a sudden conclusion. For several years, we worked behind the scenes to explore every viable path forward. We assessed what it would take to renovate the building. We examined ways to raise enough capital so that a new home could be built on the site. We engaged with Niagara Region and explored interest from other operators, including non-profit and private-sector partners, to see if someone else could carry the licence and rebuild the home. After exhausting those options, no workable solution emerged.
The building was constructed in 1972. While the care provided inside its walls has always been compassionate and committed, the building itself no longer meets today’s long-term care standards. Modern requirements for fire safety, accessibility and infection prevention and control have evolved significantly. Bringing the existing structure up to those standards would require full sprinkler coverage and major structural changes that are not feasible in a building of this age and design.
"Our seniors deserve environments built to today’s expectations, not yesterday’s. They deserve spaces designed for mobility challenges, post-pandemic infection prevention practices and enhanced life-safety protections."
Our seniors deserve environments built to today’s expectations, not yesterday’s. They deserve spaces designed for mobility challenges, post-pandemic infection prevention practices and enhanced life-safety protections. Continuing to operate in a building that cannot meet new Ontario Fire Code Regulations would not reflect the level of care we strive to provide.
We know this decision has caused sadness, frustration and concern. We share those feelings. This home is not just infrastructure. It is a community.
Our focus now is on supporting every resident through a safe and respectful transition. No one will be asked to leave before they are settled in a new home. Working closely with the provincial agency responsible for placement into long term care homes, Ontario Health atHome, each resident and family is being supported through the placement process based on individual needs and preferences.
We are grateful to the long-term care sector across Niagara for their collaboration and willingness to support residents during this transition.
In the days since this announcement, we have also witnessed something that speaks to the character of this community. Residents and families have expressed understandable disappointment, but they have also shown compassion toward staff who are navigating this change alongside them. Many have taken the time to thank team members for years of care and to acknowledge how difficult this moment is for everyone involved. That grace and understanding matter. They reflect the deep respect that exists between residents, families and the staff who have supported them every day.
"What will be hardest to leave behind are not the bricks and mortar, but the relationships. The bond between residents and staff is real and deeply meaningful."
What will be hardest to leave behind are not the bricks and mortar, but the relationships. The bond between residents and staff is real and deeply meaningful. Many team members have cared for the same residents for years. We know how much they mean to each other. We are committed to supporting both residents and staff through this change with care and respect.
Niagara Health remains focused on providing safe, high-quality hospital care in environments that meet modern standards. Sometimes that means making difficult decisions. We appreciate the understanding, patience and partnership of residents, families, staff and the broader community as we move forward together.
Our seniors deserve nothing less.
