Primary care teams in Huntsville, Burk’s Falls and Wasauksing First Nation get over $1.26M in provincial funding

The Ontario government is investing $1,264,686 to connect more people to interprofessional primary care teams across Parry Sound-Muskoka. 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.

• The Algonquin Family Health Team will be receiving $559,799, which will connect over 1,200 patients to primary care in the Huntsville and Dorset areas.
• Sundridge and District Medical Centre will be receiving $327,237, which will connect approximately 1,200 unattached patients to primary care. 
• Burk’s Falls Family Health Team will be receiving $290,000, connecting approximately 2,200 patients to primary care. 
• Wasauksing First Nation is receiving $87,650, connecting approximately 400 patients to primary care.

“This investment of over $1.2M in new funding by the Government of Ontario will significantly grow our primary care capacity in Parry Sound-Muskoka and serve approximately 5,000 residents in our community,” said MPP Graydon Smith, Parry Sound-Muskoka. “This investment will help more people get faster access to a doctor, nurse practitioner and many other types of health professionals.”

Ontario currently leads the country with 90 percent 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 the expansion of interprofessional primary care teams in Parry Sound-Muskoka.

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 modeling shows that these initiatives will help connect up to 98 percent of people in Ontario to primary care in the next several years.

Since the launch of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care one year ago, the government has been making steady progress to ensure the health care system has become better equipped to respond to the needs of patients and provide them with the right care in the right place, faster access to services and access to an expanded health care workforce.