Standard-Freeholder published an article on February 16, 2024
By Standard-Freeholder staff
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Nolan Quinn shared the exciting news that through the Ontario Ministry of Health, $4,074,398 will be divided amongst members of the Great River Ontario Health Team. Quinn’s executive assistant Josée Séguin said an exact value distribution for each team has yet to be determined.
Benefiting from the funds includes the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre, Centre de santé Communautaire de l’Estrie, Glengarry Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic, and the Rideau St. Lawrence Family Health Team.
“This funding announcement is great news for our community,” said Quinn in a news release. “Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to making sure no one in our community is left behind in our healthcare system and that everyone has a doctor or nurse practitioner.”
The funding announcement is part of Ontario’s $110 million commitment to investing in primary care teams throughout the province. Through the local investment, it is hoped that 19,340 people will be connected to a primary care provider in Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry.
Ontario health data shows that nearly 20,000 residents across the region do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
In a recent editorial by clinical Dr. Marilyn Crabtree, it was stated that the Great River Ontario Health Team is hoping to bring an additional 64 new health-care workers to the existing four team-based model “to provide people with access to desperately needed care from a team of family doctors, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and other specialists.
“It would mean people would get the right care in the right place, at the right time, with the right provider, rather than going to the emergency room or being admitted to hospital, both of which are far more expensive for government and taxpayers.”
The editorial identified that family physicians and nurse practitioners have expressed interest in relocating to the region but further recruitment will be essential as some local doctors and nurse practitioners are close to retirement.
“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, in a news release. “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.”