First funding to expand primary health care teams since 2005
Kay Ayres says she knows far too many people in Wellington County that don’t have a family doctor.
“They have to go to emergency or they have to drive to Toronto or Brampton for their care, so this is huge,” says the Mount Forest senior.
Huge, because the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team is adding two Nurse Practitioners, and a Registered Practical Nurse, to expand primary care to another 1500 people in their catchment area, thanks to $570,000 in funding from the provincial government.
“We’ll surround those new patients with our family health team programs and services, so it’s really quite an exciting win today for a rural community,” says the Executive Director of the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, Shirley Borges.
The funding is part a $110 million investment to add 400 new nurse practitioners, physicians, and other primary care providers, to 78 primary healthcare teams across Ontario.
“It’ll help 300,000 people access primary care in their community. This is the first time, we’ve done an expansion of primary care teams since their inception in 2005,” says Perth-Wellington M.P.P, Matthew Rae.
It’s an “umbrella in a hurricane” according to officials with the Ontario Medical Association, considering there are 2.3 million Ontarian’s without a family physician or primary care provider.
Nurse practitioner treating patients. (Source: File)
“It is hard not to be disappointed by this announcement, given its sheer inadequacy. This funding is just another small band-aid solution that doesn’t do anything to get to the root of the problem,” says Dr. David Barber, Chair of General and Family Practice with the Ontario Medical Association.
But back in Clifford, there is unbelievable excitement about the addition of three new health care providers, to the Wellington County region.
“I get requests from patients weekly, can you take on my family member, can you take on my friend. This can be rapidly instated. We’ve got an office ready to go. I have Nurse Practitioner students who are saying, how do I get a job like this,” says Jodi Colwill, a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, and Primary Care Director with the Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario.
“We have a waitlist that’s arms length or longer. There’s going to be a lot of phone calls our receptionist will be fielding over the coming days, I’m sure,” says Chantelle Koeslhe, a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner based in Clifford.
Even though, she has a primary care provider already, no one is more excited about this news, than Kay Ayres.
“1400 people are going to get someone that they can go to other than emerg, because emerg is awful. Our hospital in Mount Forest has to occasionally close due to lack of staff. Well, that’s cause they are so darned exhausted from all week, seeing so many sick people coming in,” she says.
$822,000 was also delivered to the Listowel-Wingham region to help fund a mobile primary care clinic team, to expand primary healthcare to 2000 residents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPs to vote on motion to oust House Speaker Greg Fergus over allegations of partisanship
Members of Parliament will be voting Tuesday on a Conservative-led motion to oust House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, amid renewed concern over his 'alleged lack of impartiality.'
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
BREAKING Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
Widespread theft costing Canada's retail industry dearly: experts
The Retail Council of Canada wants to put a stop to widespread theft within the retail industry, and industry leaders are meeting this week to find solutions.
Former South Dakota mayor charged with triple homicide
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.