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For the last two decades, Ontario has seen a shift in how we deliver primary care services - moving from a system where family doctors were practicing on their own or in small groups and paid through fee-for-service, to group practices like Family Health Teams and Community Health Centres, intended to improve comprehensive primary care.
Family Health Teams (FHTs) are organizations that provide comprehensive primary care health services to Ontario residents. Since 2005, 184 FHTs have been created to support access to primary care for over 3.4 million people across Ontario.
Community Health Centres (CHCs) are non-profit organizations that provide comprehensive primary care services with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. There are 101 CHCs across Ontario. Typically, teams include physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, health promoters, community health workers, and often chiropodists, nutritionists or dietitians.
Working across organizations and disciplines, primary care partners are collaborating to support patients that don't have a regular primary care provider (unattached patients) to ensure patients have equitable access to services. Here are a few examples of the work currently in progress across OVOHT to support all patients:
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Unattached PAP Clinics: Primary Care Providers are partnering to provide appointments for unattached patients to receive cervical cancer screening. VTAC is also a partner to help promote these services and assist in the booking process.
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Health Promotion Programs: Programs such as Falls Prevention, Mind & Body Fitness, Smoking Cessation, and Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions are available to the general public.
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Mental Health: In partnership with the Renfrew County E-Walk-in Counselling Clinic (E-WICC), providers offer counsellors to this initiative.
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Eating Disordered Clinic: Services and resources are open to all community members.
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