Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare's finances are running smoothly in the first quarter.
A report on the financial performance of the health system's start of the fiscal year was presented at the hospital's board meeting Wednesday.
Chief Financial Officer Mary Campagna says the system's operating budget is on track so far, with a significant fund return from the hospital's insurance reciprocal. As far as the hospital's capital budget goes, Campagna says she is very pleased with some of the additions to it, such as a new play area that is funded by donations.
"We've got the recreational equipment that is adjacent to the John McGivney Centre, so that was an addition to our capital budget," says Campagna.
Other key additions to the operating plan for the hospital are the expansion of a greenhouse and healing gardens area, plus another greenhouse designed to host the hospital's children's programs. The combined greenhouses will cost $600,000, but Campagna says they have wonderful benefits.
"It's a very great project," says Campagna. "It'll be very good for us. The one for the students, with the kids, will actually allow them to experience growing products, mentoring, teaching, all that will be incorporated into our curriculum."
Work on the greenhouses is in the planning stages with ground-breaking set to come. The hospital board is expected to lay the groundwork for the next fiscal year's budget later this fall.
"Starting around late October, November, we start getting our teams together, we start building the budget again from the ground up," says Campagna. "But as you know, funding has not always matched the requirement so we always have to find savings to offset."
The hospital is also receiving $1.7-million from the province to renovate its Problem Gambling Centre.
