After almost a year of advocacy on funding to expand and enhance access to team-based primary care, AFHTO's advocacy efforts have proven successful as the Ontario government announces a $110 million investment in primary care, aiming to connect up to 328,000 individuals to healthcare teams. This morning, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, highlighted the government's commitment to new investments aimed at increasing access to team-based primary care.
The initiative includes a significant $90 million allocation to add over 400 new primary care providers, contributing to the formation of 78 new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams. The funding also includes $20 million to support existing interprofessional primary care teams in meeting increased operational costs. The government's commitment reflects a tripling of the initial $30 million earmarked for expanding interprofessional primary care teams.
AFHTO is supportive of this additional investment. "We commend the government of Ontario for further investing in interprofessional team-based primary care across Ontario. These projects are going to be critical to ensure more Ontarians have access to primary care teams that can provide the wraparound services we know result in better outcomes and faster access to care. This is an important step in building upon the comprehensive programs offered through team-based primary care and expanding these teams as the foundation of Ontario’s health care system." - Leslie Sorensen, CEO, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario.
Key facts:
- Today’s investment triples the original $30 million dollars earmarked to expand interprofessional primary care teams
- The new and expanded teams will include Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Community Health Centres and Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations
- The new and expanded teams are the result of a province-wide call for proposals that took place in 2023 (EOI applications). All proposals were reviewed by Ontario Health.