MARATHON — The North of Superior Healthcare Group (NOSH) has reached another milestone toward construction of a new long-term care facility in Marathon.
Mayor Rick Dumas announced the township of Marathon will donate $100,000 to the newly-named Barrick Care facility over the next 10 years – equalling out to about $10,000 a year until 2034.
“I think it would be really appropriate for the municipality to contribute to this facility,” Dumas said.
“We believe that there is an opportunity and an availability to put the $10,000 in on an annual basis . . . the numbers are all there – we know this is a facility that’s going to be well-used and we need to be supportive of that.”
The announcement was recently made following a presentation by Adam Brown, chief executive officer of NOSH, to Marathon’s town council at their regular meeting.
Just last month, the project received a major donation of $1 million from Barrick Gold Corporation.
Brown said the overall cost to construct the facility is around $14 million and NOSH has had to “get creative” about seeking out the funding – such as holding a 50/50 Split the Pot lottery and fundraising initiatives like the Families Closer to Home Campaign.
To date, NOSH has raised about $1.7 million towards their goal – in addition to securing funding from government grants and programs.
Brown said the completion of this long-term care home will provide a much-needed service to aging residents in Marathon since there are currently no official long-term care beds in town, with the nearest facility being 80 kilometres away in Terrace Bay.
Dumas agreed about the current needs of the community and looked to the future as well.
“Of course, we all realize the importance of a long-term care facility in our community. We know there’s going to be a future, greater need as our community ages,” Dumas said.
Construction of Barrick Care is expected to begin at the end of this month.
