February 2, 2024

Perth, Ontario — The Ontario government is investing over $7 million to connect more people to primary care teams in Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.

This is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams, bringing the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care.

“This significant investment will connect more people to primary care, “said MPP John Jordan, Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston. “This is a critical step toward improving healthcare access for patients who are unattached and most vulnerable in our riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston. By allocating team-based resources, this government is demonstrating a genuine dedication to addressing healthcare gaps and improved health outcomes for Ontarians.”

Ontario currently leads the country with 90 percent of people connected to a regular health care provider. As a next step to close the gap for people not connected to primary care in the community, the province is supporting new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams in Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.

The $3,145,135 allocated to Perth Family Medicine FHO Association will allow an estimated 3,500 residents to connect to primary care, while the $4,153,311 allocated to the Kingston CHC and its partners will serve an estimated 10,000 unattached patients.

“Our community is incredibly grateful to MPP Jordan and the Ontario government for their support of our interprofessional primary care team,” said Perth Family Medicine FHO Association’s Dr. Shelly Xu. “This funding will substantially improve patient access to primary care in our region. It will provide funding towards access to allied mental health professionals and improve access to services for our geriatric population, keeping them well at home for longer. We are excited for our patients and our community!”

Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered and practical nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and dietitians, among others. Timely access to primary care helps people stay healthier for longer with faster diagnosis and treatment, as well as more consistent support managing their day-to-day health while relieving pressures on emergency departments and walk-in clinics.

“Our government is making record investments to ensure that everyone that wants to have a primary care provider can connect to one,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While there is more work to do, giving hundreds of thousands of more Ontarians the opportunity to connect to primary care brings us that much closer to this goal.”

In addition to other historic investments to expand medical school spots and efforts to break down barriers so highly-skilled internationally-trained doctors can care for people in Ontario, Ministry of Health modelling shows that these initiatives will help connect up to 98 per cent of people in Ontario to primary care in the next several years.

“This significant investment in Team-Based care will impact the lives of thousands of patients, support pressures on the health system, and ultimately contribute to enhanced community well-being. KCHC, along with Queen’s and all the partners within the FLAOHT are thrilled to turn this investment into a reality”, said Mike Bell, CEO of Kingston Community Health Centres.

Since the launch of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care one year ago, the government has been making steady progress to ensure the health care system has become better equipped to respond to the needs of patients and provide them with the right care in the right place, faster access to services and access to an expanded health care workforce.

 Quick Facts:

•  As a next step to close the gap for the 1.3 million people not connected to primary care in the province, the government is making a record investment of $90 million to add over 400 new primary care providers as part of 78 new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams. The new and expanded teams will include Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Community Health Centres and Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations.
  
  
• Ontario’s investment of $90 million dollars triples the original $30 million dollars earmarked to expand interprofessional primary care teams and will deliver over four times as many initiatives as outlined in our Your Health Plan almost a year ago.
  
  
• The new and expanded teams are the result of a province-wide call for proposals that took place in 2023. All proposals were thoroughly reviewed by Ontario Health based on criteria prioritizing areas of greatest need, to connect a greater number of people currently without a regular primary care provider with these services closer to home.
  
  
• Ontario is the first province to have a publicly funded Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic program. This is in addition to the new Practice Ready Ontario Program that will add 50 new physicians this year.
  
  
• Ontario leads the country in how many people benefit from a long-term, stable relationship with a family doctor or primary care provider. Since 2018 the province has added over 80,000 new nurses and 10,300 new physicians to the health care system.
  
  
• Ontario invests over $1 billion in interprofessional primary care teams annually.

MPP John Jordan, Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston

www.johnjordanmpp.ca

613-284-1630

Facebook: John Jordan, MPP Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston

Twitter: @johnjordan_lfk