Several medical teams in Chatham-Kent are receiving a cash infusion to connect more people to primary care.
Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres, Thamesview Family Health Team, and Tilbury District Family Health Team are sharing $1 million to connect more people to the primary care services they need in their community.
This funding is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment announced in early February 2024 to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams and bringing the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care.
The province said it's adding more than 400 new primary care providers as part of 78 new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams across Ontario.
In a news release issued Friday afternoon, Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said the province is supporting the expansion of interprofessional primary care teams in Chatham-Kent as a next step to close the gap for people not connected to primary care in the community.
“We are thrilled to announce the Ontario government’s investment of $1 million to enhance access to primary care teams in Chatham-Kent,” said Jones. “By taking this step, we are moving closer to our goal of ensuring every Ontarian has access to essential primary care services.”
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, and others.
The province also noted 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.
Executive Director of the Thamesview Family Health Team Denise Waddick said despite the recent funding, primary healthcare is still critically underfunded.
"While this is a great first step to invest in primary care: the foundation of our health care system, it still doesn’t address the health human resource crisis in primary care. Primary healthcare in Ontario is in a state of struggle, facing ongoing challenges with recruiting and retaining health professionals," said Waddick. "The wage gap between primary care and other healthcare sectors is growing rapidly. Primary healthcare has been ignored for some time now. We have not received a wage increase for our clinical and administrative staff in years.”
Waddick noted the lack of funding has and will continue to negatively impact the health of our community, leaving primary care to fall by the wayside if something doesn’t change.
She also said these challenges are compounded with the recent announcement by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent that it's pulling family physician recruitment funding of $100,000 a year.