Connecting patients to a primary-care provider is essential to the health of the Trent Hills community, says medical director and Dr. Paul Williams, on behalf of the Trent Hills Family Health Team (THFHT.)
“Attaching people to a physician or nurse practitioner is the best way to deliver thorough care and to decrease the load on urgent and emergency care, which are operating well over capacity,” said Williams, while giving thanks to the province Thursday for prioritizing investing in the team and community.
On Thursday, Feb. 8, during a stop at the team’s Campbellford medical centre, Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini announced a $221,933 boost for the team as part of the province’s push to support and expand interprofessional primary-care teams.
Piccini called the investment a step in the right direction under connecting rural Ontarians with primary-care providers.
“The Ontario government realizes that family health teams play a critical role in transforming the way communities access health care and I am proud that Trent Hills is a part of this expansion,” said Piccini.
The announcement, centred around bridging the gap between health care and rural Ontarians, is part of a larger, province-wide $110-million injection to help connect up to 328,000 more unattached patients to primary-care teams, explained Piccini.
“At my level, we know we need to expand primary care …” said Piccini, adding this $110-million investment represents the largest expansion under primary care in Ontario’s history.
Locally, the additional funding is anticipated to translate to help for thousands.
“This is going to service an estimated 3,000 members of the Trent Hills community who are currently unattached,” said Piccini.
When it comes to future work/funding, Piccini also vowed to continue to advocate for the team.
THFHT currently cares for some 11,481 patients at three sites. Its interdisciplinary team consists of six physicians, four nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, mental health co-ordinators, a health promoter, and a team of administrative professionals.
The financial boost was for help under staffing.
“We are very pleased that THFHT has been chosen for expansion,” said Delayne Donald, executive director. “We were committed to including the proper data and statistics in our proposal that showed not only the need for primary care in our community, but also our capacity to connect unattached patients to a primary-care provider moving forward.”
Interprofessional teams connect people to a range of health professionals who work together under one roof. Such teams include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, and more.
When the team noted three area physician practices closing in the space of four months in 2022 – and similar closures in the province, the team sprang into action and stepped things up, explained Samantha Dalby, a nurse practitioner with the team.
“We worked as a team to figure out how we could best use all team members to connect more people to primary care with fewer health-care professionals. It’s been an impressive transformation, and I am so grateful to our team members for their flexibility and hard work.”
Timely access to care translates to short- and long-term benefits – people stay healthier longer with faster diagnoses and treatment. More consistent support in managing day-to-day health also helps to relieve pressures on emergency departments, clinics, et cetera, stressed officials.
“We know that there are still so many people who are unattached (to a team of care) in the Province of Ontario …” noted Piccini. “And so, what I am so excited about with this, is that we’re funding primary care and team-based care. And that’s why we’re investing in the Trent Hills Family Health Team.”
Meanwhile, Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health – who was just at Trenton Memorial Hospital Monday, Feb. 5 announcing support for a redeveloped and expanded emergency department – echoed again how Ontario is making “record investments” to connect more people to care, and that efforts are ongoing.
While there’s more work to do, giving hundreds of thousands of Ontarians the opportunity to connect to primary care brings the province closer to the goal of connecting all, detailed Jones, in a recent release.
Among ongoing efforts detailed include expansion of medical school spots, breaking down barriers around internationally-trained doctors providing care in Ontario, and more.
According to the province, to help close the gap for roughly 1.3 million people not connected to primary care, it is making a record $90-million investment; translating to 400-plus new primary-care providers, as part of 78 new and expanded interprofessional teams. Such teams include FHTs, nurse-practitioner-led clinics, community health centres, and Indigenous primary health care organizations.
The $90 million is triple the original amount earmarked under expansion for these teams – it will translate to more than four times as many initiatives as outlined in the “Your Health Plan” almost a year ago, noted officials.
The new and expanded teams are the result of a call for proposals in 2023. According to officials, reviews involved prioritizing areas of greatest needs.
Annual reported investments provincewide in interprofessional teams tally more than $1 billion.
The government’s new “Practice Ready Ontario Program” is also anticipated to add 50 new doctors in 2024. The province launched its “Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care” about a year ago.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
