Sarnia's Pathways Health Centre for Children will be able to serve even more youth in need thanks to a funding boost from the Ontario government.
The province has increased its contribution to the children's rehab centre by $1.1 million annually over the next four years.
Pathways Executive Director Alison Morrison is thrilled by the long-awaited investment.
"This funding is going to allow us to bring more regulated health professionals to the organization to provide services to families with young children who need speech language pathology, occupational therapy or physiotherapy," said Morrison. "We're talking about services for infants, toddlers, and young children as well as school-aged children."
Morrison said they currently serve about 3,400 children each year. She said 600 are waiting for assessment and 100 are waiting to get services.
"The money has already begun to flow and we have postings actively recruiting those regulated professionals to come and join us in Sarnia-Lambton," she said.
The funding is part of a $240 million investment into children's services included in Ontario's 2021 provincial budget.