Dr. Andrew Su, MD, Physician Co-Chair, CKOHT and Family Physician at Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres and Head of Hospitalist Program, CKHA; Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan, Executive Transformation Lead, CKOHT; Darrin Canniff, Mayor Chatham-Kent. (Submitted photo)
A new investment from the Ontario government is expected to connect thousands of Chatham-Kent residents to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
The Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (OHT) has received $1,375,900 through the province’s Interprofessional Primary Care Team funding initiative to support the expansion of team-based primary care.
“Giving somebody access to primary care really allows them to take control of their health, think about preventative health care needs, think about cancer screening, see regular doctors for vaccine appointments, and also access to team-based care sites,” said Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan, the executive transformation lead CK OHT.
The funding will help 3,000 more people in rural CK receive care through existing local Family Health Teams and Community Health Centres.
“Instead of having those patients rely on walk-in clinics or visiting an ER… now they can get that care where they need it, when they need it in their part of the community,” said Chatham-Kent Leamington MPP Trevor Jones.
Currently, more than 25 per cent of Chatham-Kent residents do not have access to a regular primary care provider.
The Interprofessional Primary Care Team initiative is part of a $213 million provincial investment to create or expand up to 80 primary care teams across Ontario. By 2029, Ontario is aiming to ensure that all residents living in the province have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.