There’s a shortage of doctors in Renfrew County. By the end of 2021, over 30,000 people in Renfrew County (roughly 30% of the population) could be without a family physician.
As part of the County of Renfrew health committee meeting last week (February 10th, 2021), some solutions were discussed.
Doctor Jonathan Fitzsimon, the Clinical Coordinator for the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC), told committee members 23,000 people are currently without a doctor in our area. He says four to six doctors in Renfrew County are retiring or relocating in 2021 which will impact another 7,000 to 10,000 people.
Fitzsimon talked about the Virtual Family Health Team (VFHT) and believes this has the potential to be the most important tool in a generation to stop and reverse the crisis we face in access to health care in Renfrew County.
He adds the Virtual Family Health Team could be a solution to the doctor shortage in our area. Fitzsimon says there’s two physician roles funded by the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre (PCFHC), but not filled because they can’t recruit someone to come to the community.
Fitzsimon proposed to the health committee that they use the existing budget at the PCFHC for the unfilled positions to hire two virtual family physicians who would provide care to 2,600 people (1,300 patients each).
The physicians would work remotely by phone and video with patients assisted by a nurse for enhanced video encounters. Fitzsimon says this would allow for smooth referrals to health care services that are already available, but that local residents can’t access because they don’t have a family physician.
This model of care would help identify issues sooner and possibly prevent future complications. Fitzsimon says the VTAC combined with VFHT would allow all residents to have access to high quality comprehensive care.
The health committee is recommending to county council that the warden prepares a letter a letter of support for the development of the VFHT model and the creation of the VFHT in partnership with the PCFHC. If county council approves the recommendation at their February 24th meeting, the letter of support would be sent to the Minister of Health, President of Ontario Health and local MPP John Yakabuski.