When it comes to healthcare, local matters.
That’s why last week’s announcement by the provincial government that the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team had officially been approved was cause for celebration.
Anytime talk of healthcare reform is typically met with trepidation-and rightfully so. Most Ontarians would likely agree healthcare could be better, but change for the sake of change isn’t always a good thing either. Just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean a new approach is automatically going to be better.
Granted, there are still some details to be worked out for the new Ontario Health Teams. But at the very least, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Right off the hop, the fact that Lennox and Addington is group with Frontenac is a great start. Too often, for better or for worse, smaller communities such as Frontenac and Lennox and Addington get grouped in with much larger centres. There are pros and cons for sure, but for the purpose of a ‘Health Home’, it’s nice to be close to home.
The new restructuring promises to create close to 60 partnerships to build a better health system. It aims to promote collaboration between family health, mental health and addictions, long-term care and hospitals, among others. That’s great news because it reinforces something that it doesn’t take a doctor to figure out: all aspects of health are intertwined. Good mental health leads to better overall health. Rather than treat them as separate entities, the Health Teams address them as if they are one component of a much larger health picture. More partnerships between specialists means less chance of someone falling through the cracks and not getting complete care. As an added bonus, it’s more likely to divert patients from a hospital bed as well. Proper access to care in the early stages of any medical issue makes a world of difference in the outcome. Now, more than ever, keeping patients at home if possible is worth working towards.
Another reason to be excited about the Health Team is its promise to improve access to health care. No matter how good a healthcare system is, if people can’t access it, that’s a problem. Access to quality care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week can be challenging in rural areas. A larger network of health services under one umbrella is a great way to address that challenge. Not to mention, if anyone is going to know what works best for a community, it’s the professionals who live and work here everyday.
If ever we needed a reminder as to how important our health is, 2020 has certainly provided one. The ongoing pandemic has demonstrated perfectly the need for a strong health system as well as the need to work together with neighbouring communities to provide the best care.
Anything that aims to keep quality care local is a worthwhile endeavour. Even if it takes some time to get it exactly right.
-Adam Prudhomme