Expanded healthcare teams coming to rural communities in the Kawarthas

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: A new investment from the provincial government is set to improve access to health care across Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County, with more than $3.4 million committed to expanding interprofessional primary care teams in the region.

The funding was announced by the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team (KLH-OHT), in partnership with the Kawartha North Family Health Team, as part of the province’s $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan. The goal is to connect up to 6,902 people to regular, team-based primary care, in local communities.

“This investment, of over $3.4 million, to expand primary care services in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County is a vital step toward connecting thousands of local residents to the care they deserve,” said, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP, Laurie Scott. “By building on existing infrastructure and supporting all healthcare providers across the system, this initiative will strengthen team-based care and enhance access to publicly funded high-quality primary healthcare in underserved communities.”

The expansion will focus on creating new interprofessional health teams, in Coboconk, Woodville and Minden, communities identified as having high numbers of residents without a primary care provider. These teams will include: doctors, nurse practitioners, mental health professionals and other allied health staff working together, to provide care close to home.

For residents in Woodville, the announcement is especially meaningful.

“We’ve needed something like this for years,” said Debbie Langley, a longtime Woodville resident. “It’s hard, when you have to drive an hour just to see a doctor or sit on hold for weeks trying to get an appointment. Knowing care is coming right here to town, it’s a huge relief for families like mine.”

The Kawartha North Family Health Team was chosen through a recent call for proposals targeting communities with the highest rates of unattached patients, including those on the provincial Health Care Connect waitlist.

“This funding enables us to deliver on our community’s long-standing need for equitable, local access to high-quality primary care,” said Marina Hodson, Executive Director of the Kawartha North Family Health Team. “It’s a game changer for patients, especially in our rural and underserved communities. We are especially proud of the collaborative effort this proposal represents. The collective focus on improving access to care in our community will be highly impactful.”

According to the KLH-OHT, a process to accept new patients through these care hubs will be developed and shared publicly, in the coming months.

“This is a significant milestone in our journey towards fully integrated, team-based care, for the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton region,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Choi, Primary Care Lead for the KLH-OHT. “The new interprofessional team hubs will expand the geographical reach of our primary care providers, by working collaboratively with other health professionals, ensuring every patient receives the right care, from the right provider, at the right time.”

Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones said, the new teams are part of a province wide effort to ensure every Ontarian has access to a primary care provider.

“We are continuing to build on our government’s record investments which have helped secure Ontario the highest rate of access to a regular health-care provider in the country,” said Minister Jones. “We are protecting Ontario’s health-care system and people’s access to convenient care, by funding new and expanded primary care teams across the province, helping connect everyone in Ontario to a primary care provider.”