Muskoka and area will be at the forefront of
Ontario’s health system transformation as a group of local health care
providers, including MAHC, has been selected among the first wave of applicants
seeking to establish an Ontario Health Team (OHT).
Ontario Health Teams are being introduced by
the provincial government to provide a new way of organizing and delivering health
care services in local communities. The concept is that under Ontario Health
Teams, the health care providers you see (including hospitals, doctors and home
care providers) will work as one coordinated team – no matter where they
provide your care. It is part of the provincial government’s plan to improve
health care in Ontario by building a more connected system that improves the
patient and caregiver experience and strengthens local services.
I am excited about the recent announcement
that Muskoka and area has been invited to submit a full application for an Ontario
Health Team. Patients throughout our region will benefit from health care that
is integrated and coordinated locally, centered around primary care, and
positioned to improve social determinants of population health.
Muskoka and area is one of just 31 groups
selected by the provincial government to move forward to the next stage of
application, and this is all thanks to the hard work of the Muskoka and Area
OHT partners. We at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare are proud to be a partner in this
work, joining a full spectrum of health and community organizations, including
the Cottage Country Family Health Team, Algonquin Family Health Team, Midwives
of Muskoka, North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Closing the Gap Health
Care, North Simcoe Muskoka Home and Community Care, North East Home and
Community Care, CarePartners Muskoka, District of Muskoka, Alzheimer’s Society
of Muskoka, and HandsTheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca.
In our collective completed application,
which is due this fall, we will demonstrate how our OHT will enhance
coordination of care and improve transitions of care, and effectively engage
primary care providers and leaders, as well as Indigenous partners by further
illustrating solid relationships across the continuum of care. We must also establish
effective governance with providers and community-based representation,
including patients and families. If you are interested in becoming part of this
local governance model, I encourage you to send your expression of interest to
Janine van den Heuvel, Executive Director of the Algonquin Family Health Team
at janine.vandenheuvel@mahc.ca.
This is very exciting news for Muskoka and area
that builds on the great work of the Muskoka and Area Health System
Transformation group to revolutionize local health care to make it easier for
patients to navigate the system and to centre care around people. I hope that
with continued hard work and the support of all our partners, later this fall Muskoka
and area can be among those named by the province as the first Ontario Heath
Teams.
If you would like to learn more about how
Ontario is connecting care through Ontario Health Teams, please visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/improving-health-care-ontario.
