Ontario Introduces A Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery

Today, our government introduced Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery, a five-point plan to provide the best care possible to patients and residents while ensuring the resources and supports are in place to keep the province and economy open.

This is second phase of Plan to Stay Open that was released in March 2022, and it will help Ontario address current pressures on the health system, surgical backlogs and a potential winter surge.

As actions in this plan are implemented in the coming weeks and months, Ontarians can expect to see faster access to health care, including lower wait times in emergency departments, lower wait times for surgical procedures and more care options right in their communities

The plan further bolsters Ontario’s health care workforce, expands innovative models of care and ensures hospital beds are there for patients when they need them.

Key actions include hiring up to 6,000 additional health care workers, freeing up 2,500 more hospital beds and temporarily covering the cost of examination, application and registration fees for retired and international-trained nurses.