Province announces $6M for primary care teams in northeastern Ontario

The Ontario government is promising around $6 million to expand family health teams and create new ones in northeastern Ontario.

“They’ll get full notice of the details next week but we wanted to get the announcement out," said Timmins MPP George Pirie.

Pirie shared the news Friday at the East End Family Health Team, which opened 20 years ago. It offered care from a multi-disciplinary team of health-care professionals, but most of them resigned in 2021.

Currently, it employs 3.5 nurse practitioners and a part-time psychotherapist.

Officials said they will hire more employees with the $470,000 it expects to receive.

“Get more nurse practitioners on board and a psychotherapist on board, as well full-time in order to deliver great patient care," said Katherine Harvey, executive director of the East End Family Health Team.

The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority is expecting close to $1.5 million to establish its first family health team.

“We know we’ve seen significant pressures on our entire health care system along the James and Hudson Bay coasts and two ways in which we can relieve that pressure is to bolster primary care, as well as community care," said Lynne Innes, president and chief executive officer of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority.

The Chapleau and District Family Health Team also hopes to add nurse practitioners and mental health workers to its organization.

"And, looking at patient navigators as a bridge to care with our Indigenous partners surrounding our community," said Randi Noel, executive director and primary care manager at Chapleau and District Family Health Team.

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Other recipients included in the funding announcement are the Timmins Academic Family Health Team, the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team and the Elliot Lake Family Health Team.

Pirie said there shouldn't be a problem attracting nurses to fill the roles since there are 35,000 nursing applicants who've been approved for free tuition.