Toronto: In partnership with Ontario Health, the Ontario government has approved three new Ontario Health Teams in Northern Ontario that will facilitate breaking down barriers in people’s health care to provide connected and more convenient care.
“These three new Ontario Health Teams will improve the way people access health care…to meet the unique needs of rural, remote, Indigenous, Francophone and other diverse communities by ensuring they can more easily and seamlessly access the supports and services they need,” Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, has said in a news release.
Sylvia Jones added that the new Ontario Health Teams will also support more connected care between a person’s various providers.
The three new Ontario Health Teams are:
- Maamwesying Ontario Health Team, serving Indigenous communities in Northeastern Ontario, including the urban Indigenous population in Sault Ste. Marie;
- City & District of Thunder Bay Ontario Health Team, serving Thunder Bay and the surrounding region; and
- Kiiwetinoong Healing Waters Ontario Health Team, serving Dryden, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout.
The new Ontario Health Teams will collaborate to help patients experience easier transitions from one provider to another, with one patient record and one care plan being shared between their healthcare providers for a continuous patient story.
The patients will have convenient access to connected providers who can better meet all of their healthcare needs.
This would provide confidence to Ontarians they can also continue to contact their healthcare providers under an Ontario Health Team, as they always have to access the healthcare they need.
With the addition of three new teams, Ontario’s total number of Ontario Health Teams would come to 54.
Four new potential health teams have been invited by the Ontario Ministry of Health to complete full applications which subject to approval would result in the province achieving its goal of full provincial coverage, ensuring everyone has the support of an Ontario Health Team. These four remaining teams are:
- Équipe Ontario Cochrane District Team;
- Équipe Sudbury Espanola Manitoulin Elliot Lake Team;
- Équipe des régions du Temiskaming Area Team; and
- West Parry Sound Team.
#NorthernOntario; #NewHealthTeams
