Stephanie MacLaren, lead of the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team (KLH OHT) called a $3.4 million provincial investment to expand access to primary care and develop new programming in the region “one of the biggest local healthcare stories in decades.”
MPP Laurie Scott was in Coboconk July 15 for the announcement, which will see new interprofessional health teams developed in Minden, Coboconk and Woodville. The money is part of a $2.1 billion investment to connect 300,000 Ontarians to primary care this year, and around two million by 2030.
The politician said there are 6,902 people in Haliburton County and Kawartha Lakes without a registered family doctor – the highest of any applicant in this funding stream. Scott credited Marina Hodson, executive director of the Kawartha North Family Health Team (KNFHT), for advocating for the money.
“In the weeks and months ahead, Marina and her team will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate [how to apply] to the community,” Scott said, noting anyone without a family doctor will be paired with a physician, a nurse practitioner, or primary care team.
Hodson said the portion of the money benefitting the Highlands, unknown at this time, will be used to hire new staff and develop new services seperate from the Minden Urgent Care Clinic.
“This will significantly expand and strengthen access to comprehensive primary care. There is always somewhere people can go [such as after-hours clinics and the ER], but that’s not the relationship we want to establish. There needs to be an actual foundation for people,” Hodson said.
She recognized MacLaren and KLH OHT partners for their contributions to KNFHT’s application – including Haliburton Highlands Health Services, Haliburton FHT, Kawartha Lakes FHT, Ross Memorial Hospital and Community Care CKL.
“I’m really excited to work together and figure out how to share these resources, spread them across all our communities to really increase access. That’s what this is all about,” Hodson said. Following up with The Highlander, Hodson noted the money is about more than adding new doctors and nurse practitioners, it will also be used to hire ancillary health care providers. A media release from the MPP’s office says physiotherapists, social workers and pharmacists will form part of the new catchment.
More details expected mid-August
Hodson hopes to have a better idea of how much money Minden will be getting, and what will be done with it, by mid-August.
MacLaren noted the number of County residents onboarded this year will depend on how successful KNFHT is with recruiting. “That’s going to drive our numbers significantly.”
She hopes that, by adding more primary care professionals, other healthcare specialists will be attracted to the County “for one-off monthly clinic days,” referencing how HHHS was able to launch new internal medicine and women’s health clinics at the Minden Health Hub recently.
“The more volume there is in terms of patients, the better for everyone, potentially,” MacLaren said, noting part of the deal is to expand hours of care in Minden for things like after-hours clinics. “We’ll see what that looks like.”
Additional funds needed
Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter was at Tuesday’s announcement, saying it’s a big deal for the people of Haliburton County.
“The median age of people… in Haliburton County is close to 60. The need and the amount of healthcare required by people in that group tends to be much greater than it is for a younger population,” Carter said. “Anything we can get is beneficial – we have a dire need for doctors, nurses and all other allied health professionals.”
He’s “cautiously optimistic” KNFHT and other partners will be able to find staff to fill much-needed positions.
“I’ve been told that if there are full-time jobs created, as opposed to shifts one day a week, that people will be interested. Having more dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists locally would be very helpful,” the mayor said.
“We’re fortunate that we have a facility in Minden, so they can rearrange how certain things are done and bring people in [seamlessly].
“Anything that can take the strain off the hospital, our doctors and nurses just helps everybody… so this is a positive, absolutely,” Carter said.
