Local OHT reports progress in helping residents find doctors
Lindsay woman says more communication about program would be helpful
The Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team (KLH-OHT) recently announced significant progress in helping people find a doctor or other primary care provider.
As part of this system-wide effort, the KLH-OHT is currently working through the Health Care Connect (HCC) waitlist to match patients with new or expanding primary care teams.
HCC is a provincial matching service that registers people without a regular provider and searches for a clinician who is accepting new patients wherever one happens to live. You can register online, by phone, or by calling 811.
Registering with HCC will help the KLH-OHT identify who in the community is actively seeking a new provider closer to home by using postal codes. This updated process helps ensure that all residents who want to access care locally are counted and prioritized appropriately.
Since July, the KLH-OHT reports that more than 100 new patients have connected with doctors in Bobcaygeon, Woodville and Lindsay.
Sharon Robbins, who lives in Lindsay, has been without a doctor for a year and a half. “If there’s something wrong, we have to go to a walk-in clinic. Fortunately, we haven’t had anything significant that has been a problem, so we haven’t ended up in the emergency room,” she said.
The biggest concern for her is that she has Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I have my checkups down at Princess Margaret, but that doesn’t change the fact that I need a primary care physician to check things when they change.”
For her, it’s a step in the right direction to getting people access to healthcare. “A lot of us understand that there’s a shortage of doctors, but it matters to know that (the government) is attempting more aggressively to do something about it,” she said.
Robbins hopes that the government is able to get the word out about the program better. “I’m somebody that follows the news all the time, and I didn’t hear about this. It’s terrific that they have a program, but they have to make a greater effort to let people know that it even exists.”
“So much of health begins with primary care,” said Stephanie MacLaren, executive director of the KLH-OHT in a press release. “Working through this monumental task takes deep partnership and commitment. Our shared goal is to strengthen access because primary care is not only the front door to the health system; it is also a cornerstone of healthy communities.”
Residents without a primary care provider are encouraged to register online at www.ontario.ca/healthcareconnect or call 1-800-445-1822.
