This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and the Yukon Hospital Corporation.
The Government of Yukon is expanding the Yukon’s health care system by increasing the amount of both long-term care rooms at Whistle Bend Place and acute care beds at Whitehorse General Hospital.
Earlier this year, the Government of Yukon took significant action to support the delivery of hospital services at designated long-term care homes. As part of this effort, the Government of Yukon and the Yukon Hospital Corporation have been working together to develop a plan to leverage and optimize space within our health care system to best meet the needs of Yukoners, and to support our health care providers.
The Government of Yukon and the Yukon Hospital Corporation will be reconfiguring existing spaces to create 12 new long-term care rooms at Whistle Bend Place which will result in an additional five acute care beds being available at the Whitehorse General Hospital’s Thomson Centre. This is a step towards increasing the number of available long-term care rooms and acute care beds, expanding both services in the Yukon. These changes will help build a stronger and more responsive health system that can better serve Yukoners now and in the future.
As a result of these changes, some hospice clients, long-term care residents and Government of Yukon staff will be relocated from Thomson Centre to Whistle Bend Place. Measures are being taken to help ensure that the safety and quality of care for all long-term care residents are maintained during this transition. There has been communication with all residents and their families, as well as staff working in the long-term care homes to support this transition.
In 2024–25, the Government of Yukon is investing $6.3 million to cover the cost of increasing bed capacity in the territory. This initiative follows the recommendations of the Putting People First report and the Aging in Place Action Plan, which aim to ensure high-quality long-term care and acute care.
Efforts are also underway to recruit the necessary staff to make this transition smooth and maintain high-quality care for all patients and residents. The ongoing recruitment efforts under the Health Human Resources strategy are crucial in addressing staffing shortages and supporting this increase in capacity.
Our government is committed to meeting the growing needs of Yukoners and Seniors needing long-term care and acute care. Through this work, we are creating more beds and enhancing patient and staff safety, while meeting both current and future health care demands to help support the health and wellbeing of our Seniors and Elders. This is an innovative and collaborative solution between the Government of Yukon and the Yukon Hospital Corporation, and it represents another meaningful step towards the transformation of Yukon’s health care system.
Addressing the strains on bed capacity at Whitehorse General Hospital has been a key focus for us. By expanding our health system’s capacity at both Whitehorse General Hospital and Whistle Bend Place, we're making important strides to relieve these pressures and boost our overall capabilities. This initiative highlights our commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care and is a step towards meeting the increasing demands for acute care services in the Yukon.
Laura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
867-332-7627
Laura.Seeley@yukon.ca
Nigel Allan
Communications, Health and Social Services
867-332-9576
Nigel.allan@yukon.ca
Jessica Apolloni
Communications, Yukon Hospital Corporation
867-335-7700
Jessica.apolloni@yukonhospitals.ca