The Ontario government is investing $4.1 million to connect more people to primary care teams in Lennox & Addington. This is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams, bringing the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care.
“I am so grateful to see this provincial investment come to our area,” said Hastings – Lennox & Addington MPP Ric Bresee in a release. “It will support an innovative delivery model that provides an estimated 10,000 un-rostered people with access to primary care in the Lennox and Addington region”
Ontario currently leads the country with 90 per cent of people connected to a regular health care provider. As a next step to close the gap for people not connected to primary care in the community, the province is supporting new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams in Lennox & Addington.
For the Kingston – Frontenac – Lennox & Addington region, this means an estimated 10,000 people will soon be able to receive primary care in a very different, interprofessional wraparound model. The Ontario government says the Periwinkle model is an excellent example of partnership in action and shows the value of the new Ontario Health Teams. It is anticipated that the original Periwinkle Health Home site will be the first of many across the KFL&A region.
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, among others. 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.
“Our government is making record investments to ensure that everyone that wants to have a primary care provider can connect to one,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While there is more work to do, giving hundreds of thousands of more Ontarians the opportunity to connect to primary care brings us that much closer to this goal.”
In addition to other historic investments to expand medical school spots and efforts to break down barriers so highly-skilled internationally-trained doctors can care for people in Ontario, Ministry of Health modelling shows that these initiatives will help connect up to 98 per cent of people in Ontario to primary care in the next several years.