February 28, 2005
BRANDON—Children and youth in Brandon, rural areas and
the North will benefit from additional therapy and infant hearing screening
services with an additional $128,000 in provincial funding, Family Services and
Housing Minister Christine Melnick announced today.
“We have increased our support to help meet the
demand for more children’s therapy services and improve existing services for
the children of Manitoba,” said Melnick. “These important services will be
delivered more effectively thanks to the collaboration and co-operation of all
stakeholders.”
The Brandon children’s therapy initiative is being
supported with $64,000 and will provide improved access to services for
children in the area of the Brandon Regional
Both initiatives were developed after a series of
pilot projects carried out in Brandon, Winnipeg and other regions of the
province.
The new approach strengthens the delivery of
existing therapy services to help children reach their full potential through
better co-ordination and collaboration between stakeholders. Therapy areas being improved include
occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language therapy and audiology services
for children.
The initial pilot projects identified potential
solutions to challenges in the provision of existing therapy services for
children including more effective delivery of supports and increased funding
for additional services.
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