Our community is one step closer to connecting everyone to primary care providers.
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke’s Member of Provincial Parliament, John Yakabuski, has announced funding for a new Family Health Team in Renfrew, Calabogie, and the surrounding area.
The money is part of a larger $110 million commitment from the province to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams.
The new team will be run by the Ancient Rivers Family Health Organization, who have offices in Renfrew and Calabogie, and will fill the only gap in Renfrew County without an interprofessional care team.
Their team of 17 family doctors are aiming to provide care services for around 6,600 people in the area without a primary care provider, while also wrapping in supports that are not currently available locally.
Yakabuski calls it tremendous news, noting that “giving more patients access to a family doctor will go a long way to easing the strain and overcrowding on our emergency departments. I am most grateful to all those involved with the Ancient Rivers Family Health Team and for their leadership in this initiative. I am also grateful to our government for providing the necessary funding.”
Dr. Candice Cybulskie, Lead Applicant for the FHT, adds that the funding “will substantially improve patient access to allied health professionals, which will help the family doctors in Renfrew, Calabogie, and the surrounding the surrounding area deliver better care.
She adds that “family doctors are the foundation of our health care system, and investing in them is essential. We are excited to be bringing more resources to our community for both attached and unattached patients.”
Rather than create a new leadership structure, the new Family Health Team has chosen to rely on the experience and structure of Renfrew Victoria Hospital’s existing Board of Directors. They will also have their main site located on the RVH campus.
President and CEO Julia Boudreau says the project will build upon the “strong relationship with our local physicians and address a critical need in our area.”
Boudreau would go on to say that “this project will build upon our strong relationship with our local physicians to address a critical need in our area, providing access to primary care so more patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place.”
Part of Ancient Rivers’ proposal will also see the recruitment of other healthcare professionals over time. That includes the possibility of a nurse practitioner, nurse, and counsellor who can provide short- and long-term mental health support, as well as dietitians and physiotherapists.
(written by Kasey Egan)