If you’re one of the 60,000 people in Hamilton without a family doctor, the Hamilton Family Health Team wants to hear from you.
“Many people have not believed they can actually get a family physician or nurse practitioner,” Gloria Jordan, the health team’s CEO, told CBC Hamilton Wednesday.
However, she said that’s not true – thanks in part to recent provincial investments.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones visited the Hamilton Family Health team on Wednesday to promote government investment in healthcare, including a program aimed at addressing the long-standing family doctor shortage.
In a news release, the ministry mentioned that the team based on James Street N., received about $800,000 through a provincial action plan in the 2025-2025 fiscal year. Since August 2025, it said, the team of around 1,000 health workers has signed up over 2,744 patients.
In June, Jordan noted her organization got $5 million from the province to help connect over 10,000 more individuals to family doctors and primary care teams at clinics like:
Carlisle Medical Centre. Compass Community Centre. Eva Rothwell Centre. Escarpment Health Centre. Lincoln Medical Centre. Southmount Health Care Centre.
“As we work to connect everyone to primary care by 2029, our government is protecting Ontario’s health-care system by investing in new and expanded primary care teams in Ontario communities, including Hamilton, that will keep families healthier while relieving pressures on emergency departments,” Jones stated in the news release.
In January, the minister said that the province was on track to meet its 2029 goal; there are still about 1.98 million people without primary care.
WATCH | How a Toronto health team connected 15,000 people with a doctor:
They’ve connected 15,000 Torontonians with a doctor. Here’s how
The Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team has launched two new programs designed to improve access to primary care and make the health system more equitable. CBC’s Tyler Cheese explains how the initiative is connecting thousands of people with doctors and expanding access to medical care.
In 2023, the Hamilton Family Health Team informed CBC Hamilton that there was a need for an additional 60 family doctors so every resident could have one.
On Wednesday, Jordan mentioned she wasn’t sure how many doctors were needed now but explained that one practice can serve between 800 and 1,800 patients.
“We can close the gap for the 60,000 people,” she said. “Part of that is investment and another part is spreading awareness and finding those who need assistance.”
To achieve this goal, she said their health team plans to attend events such as Art Crawl and Ribfest as well as urgent care clinics and emergency departments to inform people on how they can sign up with them.
Gloria Jordan is the CEO of the Hamilton Family Health Team. (Submitted by Hamilton Family Health Team)
Being a family physician is challenging,” Jordan remarked,” since “a lot of [health] system responsibilities fall onto primary care.”
However,” she continued,” efforts aimed at training new doctors along with investments in current services should make this field more appealing.”
If you’re searching for a primary care provider,” she suggested registering with Ontario’s Health Care Connect tool.”</PAdditionally,”Jordan mentioned her team would assist anyone who calls or emails them find doctors within their local areas.”</P
Apart from visiting a health team clinic in North End,” Jones also toured Hamilton General Hospital on Wednesday where she announced an expansion project for their emergency department scheduled for completion by 2030.
Source link
