The Ford government has announced $235 million in new funding to support new and expanded primary care teams that will help connect more Ontarians to primary health care this year.
The 130 primary care teams were selected through a call for proposals launched in April, focused on communities with the highest number of residents who do not currently have primary health care.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced on Monday that the teams will help connect 300,000 people to primary care this year.
“Our government is protecting Ontario’s health-care system and helping connect everyone in Ontario to a primary care provider for years to come,” said Jones.
Jones says the new funding is part of the government’s Primary Care Action Plan, which aims to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team by 2026.
In April, the Ontario Medical Association said that 2.5 million people across Ontario don’t have a family doctor and that number will grow to more than 4.4 million people by 2026.
The impact of Canada’s primary-care crisis is being felt acutely in Sault Ste. Marie Ont., where 10,000 people will be cut off from their family doctor at the end of May. CBC’s Nick Purdon breaks down the Group Health Centre’s de-rostering and what it means for patients.
The chair of Ontario’s Primary Care Action team says the teams will begin to accept patients in the upcoming weeks and months.
“We know that many have waited a long time for this,” said Dr. Jane Philpott at Monday’s announcement.
“These teams will be the front door to care, offering timely, comprehensive support led by a family doctor or a nurse practitioner,” she said.
In a release, the province says eligible teams not selected for funding in this round will be encouraged to refine and resubmit their proposals for the next call for proposals, which is expected to launch in September.
Jones says primary care teams will be provided with $142 million in operational funding over three years to recruit and retain health-care workers.
Funding can be used for non-physician team members such as nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists.
