The Chief Executive Officer of the Haven Group in Steinbach is optimistic about getting approval for additional personal care beds at the Rest Haven Nursing Home. David Driedger made the comment following meetings with Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen and regional health officials after the Minister announced he was looking for creative proposals to fund the construction of new PCH beds. Driedger says they would like to add 80 beds.

"We were pleased that additional personal care home beds for Steinbach are a priority. We are now in the midst of working with Southern Health and a consultant to come up with what I would call three key things: to prepare a capital project cost estimate, to prepare a document which identifies opportunities and challenges in adding beds to the existing facility and then, from that, propose a funding model that would be acceptable to all parties."

Driedger says the Minister indicated the province will put forward a certain amount of capital-per-bed and then the remainder of the capital funding must come from the local community. He expects their study to be completed by the end of August which will then dictate how they move forward.

"Hopefully that study will inform us enough that we can address both the capital side and the operating cost side of an expanded personal care home with the Minister of Health."

Driedger says they are working on a funding model that will be unique to Steinbach.

"We are confident that, based on the need that there is and the willingness of all parties to make it happen, that we should be able to proceed in the reasonably foreseeable future. We will continue to work with the Department of Health, we will work with Southern Health, we will work with local foundations, we'll work with any party interested in helping us to achieve that result."

Rest Haven currently has 60 PCH beds and Bethesda Place, next to the hospital has 60 PCH beds. If approved, an 80 bed addition at Rest Haven would bring the number of PCH beds in Steinbach to 200.