CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The shortage of family doctors has been a growing problem for not only the region, but Ontario writ large. The newly opened Unattached Care Clinic (UCC) aims to tackle that problem head on.
The UCC is run by the Huron Perth and Area Ontario Health Team (HPA-OHT) through an earlier announced $822,604 investment from the province. Robin Spence Haffner, executive director of Listowel-Wingham and Area Family Health Team, said all eight of the family health teams came together to put together a proposal and were ultimately successful in securing the funding.
“The clinic idea came from just looking at ways we could use our existing resources and infrastructure in the family health teams, the clinics we already have, to give access to more people,” Spence Haffner said. “We're really thrilled that we got the funding and now have the program up and going.”
There are 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, Spence Haffner said, and she estimates there are many thousands of people in the Huron-Perth region who don’t have a doctor. To that end, the UCC is designed to provide access to acute, chronic and preventive primary care services throughout the region, including treatment for acute illnesses and management of chronic conditions, mental-health support and preventive care such as cancer screenings, vaccinations and wellness advice.
That care is done through the clinics’ nurse practitioners.
Although not doctors themselves, nurse practitioners are able to provide a great deal of care that would normally be done by a family doctor. Additionally, they are also aware of what the limitations of their scope are and are able to refer to specialists as needed.
Spence Haffner called them a “critical part” of primary care.
Virginia Greene is a nurse practitioner at the Stratford UCC clinic and has been a nurse practitioner for 26 years. She said without going out looking for patients, people are already finding them – a testament to the great need there was in the community for primary care.
“The reaction’s been very positive,” Greene said. “People are really, really just so happy that we are here.”
“We're not going to be able to attach every resident of Huron and Perth county who doesn't have a family doctor to a nurse practitioner to this program, but it's at least a step in the right direction,” Spence Haffner said, clarifying that the initial investment will ensure the clinic will operate for a one-year period. “We're really looking at proving this model so that we can get increased investment.”
The clinics are strategically located in Stratford, Listowel, Wingham, Goderich, Zurich and Exeter, reaching residents within a 40-kilometre radius of each site. For appointments and general inquiries, patients can call the clinic closest to them:
• Stratford Family Health Team: 226-766-0510
• Listowel-Wingham and Area Family Health Team: 519-291-4511
• Bluewater Area Family Health Team, Exeter Medical Clinic; Maitland Valley Medical Centre: 519-870-9034
The UCC is not a replacement for walk-in clinics, leadership said, but a dedicated program to work in tandem with walk-ins. Appointments are required to ensure efficient care.
Spence Haffner also pointed out that in addition to the UCC, Urgent Care Ontario and Health811 are other virtual programs for those lacking a family doctor.
As always, she and the team are encouraging patients to register with Healthcare Connect to find a permanent family doctor.
Comments