Efforts to create a Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team have taken another step forward.

A team from the Ministry of Health came to the municipality last week for a site visit, part of the approval process for the bid to move forward.

Over a dozen local agencies have been collaborating on the bid, and say the November 5th visit gave them a chance to bring their 120 page submission to life.

The idea behind the Ontario Health Teams is to create a more streamlined approach to patient care, building greater partnerships and transition of care between various health agencies.

The Chatham-Kent group was chosen from over 150 submissions to the Ministry of Health earlier this year to move forward with the application process.

Co-chair Lori Marshall is feeling very confident after last week’s site visit.

“There is no question in my mind we effectively showcased our deep collaboration and commitment to this initiative,” Marshall says in a statement. “We had nearly 30 representatives from our CK-OHT in attendance, including steering committee members, physicians, nurse practitioners and patient advisors; all of whom took part in our presentation and follow-up discussion with the outreach team.”

The province is expected to announce which communities will form Ontario Health Teams in early 2020.