Hospital announces opening of 12-bed Transitional Care Unit

By Jeff Helsdon

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new 12-bed Transitional Care Unit has opened at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital (TDMH).

The Ministry of Health provided $1.6 million in funding to allow the unit to open on April 1 and will fund it through the end of March 31, 2026. The Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is intended to transition patients to long-term care, retirement homes or safely return home with the support of community services. In the short time it’s been open the unit has achieved success in that goal.

“The TCU is important as it provides high-quality, individualized care for patients while they are awaiting their next care setting,” said Nadia Facca, president and CEO of TDMH and Ingersoll Alexandra Hospital. “It is restorative care, focusing on physiotherapy and recreational therapy. Since opening, the unit has already achieved early success, with patients transitioning to LTC, retirement homes or safely returning home with the support of community services. We are also noticing better patient flow throughout the hospital from the emergency department to the inpatient units”.

A dedicated space has been set aside for the TCU in the second-floor North Wing. Staffing includes a multidisciplinary team with nurses, personal support workers, a recreational therapist, occupational therapist (OT), physiotherapist assistant (PTA), and physiotherapist. This wing was formerly used as surge space for acute medicine beds for patients with lower acuity when needed. 

The MOH supports staffing and program resources required to deliver this level of transitional care and is a significant step in addressing hospital capacity challenges and improving patient flow across the region. The TDMH Foundation generously gave over $107,000 to support equipment needs for this new unit.

The opening of the unit helps relieve a capacity problem in the hospital. It operates 50 inpatient beds: 34 acute care medical surgical beds, 10 Complex Continued Care (CCC) beds, and six Level Two Advanced Intensive Coronary Care beds (ICCU). To meet the community's growing healthcare needs, TDMH routinely operated over capacity, with an average of 12 additional unfunded acute beds open daily for the past several years.

“The addition of 12 new transitional beds at Tillsonburg Hospital is a vital step toward ensuring that patients receive the right care in the right place, while also easing pressure on our hospital system,” said Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman. “This investment reflects our government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare access in our rural communities and supporting patients as they transition back home or into long-term care.”