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Ontario is creating 30 new Family Health Teams across the province to provide better access to family health care.
Family Health Teams provide care closer to home by bringing together health care professionals such as physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers and dieticians. Working together, they offer quality team-based care while also attaching more patients who don’t have a regular family doctor to one in their community. They also help reduce demand on hospital emergency departments by providing non-emergency care.
The addition of 30 new teams meets Ontario’s commitment to create 200 Family Health Teams. Family Health Teams are currently providing care to over 2.3 million Ontarians and serving over 393,000 previously unattached patients.
Today’s announcement is a key part of the government’s Open Ontario Plan to provide more access to health care services while improving quality and accountability for patients.
QUOTES
“What makes these Family Health Teams so valuable is that each one is developed with the needs of the community in mind. These additional 30 new teams will provide even greater access to quality heath care for people in the community.”
– Deb Matthews
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“We are thrilled with today’s announcement of an additional 30 Family Health Teams opening their doors province-wide. These teams will not only provide Ontarians with access to a doctor in their community, but to a team of health care professionals that can provide patient-centred care.”
– Dr. Mark McLeod
President, OMA
QUICK FACTS
- More than 900,000 Ontarians have been attached to a family doctor, since 2003.
- It is expected that once all 200 teams are operational, they will provide access to primary care for more than three million Ontarians.
- As of 2009, there were 2,886 more doctors providing services to Ontario patients than in 2003.
- Ontarians without a family health care provider can register with Health Care Connect, a program that helps people find a family doctor or nurse practitioner in their community.
- Ontario has also announced 25 Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics which are expected to care for more than 40,000 people.