‘Life-altering investment’: $1.5 million in funding for IVF treatments for Windsor families
Victory Reproductive Care (VCR) Clinic is receiving a minimum of $1.5 million in annual funding from the Ontario government to support reproductive therapies in Windsor.
“To families in our region in need of services, this is a life-altering investment,” says Dr. Rahi Victory, infertility specialist at VCR.
In 2015, Ontario expanded access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) services for Ontarians with infertility but no funding was provided to clinics in Windsor-Essex.
As a result, patients in Windsor-Essex had to either pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket to access IVF services closer to home or make multiple trips to the GTA or London to receive care.
The $1.5 million in funding will cover IVF treatments for 135 local families. The province covers one cycle of IVF per eligible patient per lifetime.
“Overall, you're saving about $11,000 compared to what you would pay privately,” said Dr. Victory.
Ontario’s Health Minister Sylvia Jones says, “it’s not so much about the money, it’s the fact that families who want to build a family in their community can do that here.”
Stacey Tobin shows photos of her daughter in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor) For Stacey Tobin, founder of peer support group, Fertility Friends, the investment has been a “long time coming.”
“Those of us that have already went through it (IVF) would have wished it was here years ago but nevertheless there are people who can now benefit from it,” said Tobin.
She conceived her daughter using IVF in 2018. At the time, she had to frequently travel to Toronto in order to receive government-funded care.
“There were many days when we would have to travel to Toronto for a basic appointment that would only take maybe 15 minutes. It made things very stressful,” she recalled.
Women in Windsor-Essex in need of extra support during their IVF journey are encouraged to join Fertility Friend’s Facebook group.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.