Bluewater Health is one of many Ontario hospitals that have been hit hard by skyrocketing hydro costs.
The hospital's power bill of nearly $3-million this fiscal year ending March 31, is up about $500,000 over the previous year.
CEO Mike Lapaine says fortunately they're still projecting a small surplus but he says the escalating trend is not sustainable.
"The budget was tabled Wednesday night for the board's 2017-18 fiscal year," says Lapaine. "If there's no augmentation to hospital funding, we would be projecting a $1.3-million deficit. However, the ministry has not yet announced funding for hospitals so it's still premature to be predicting that."
Lapaine is hopeful some inflation relief for hospitals will be included in the next provincial budget.
He says Bluewater Health made a commitment to maintain staffing levels for the next fiscal year.