With the deadline approaching for its promise to connect every person in Ontario with a doctor or primary care provider by 2029, the Ford government announced on Friday that it will invest an additional $15 million to support health care access in the London area.
This new funding is expected to link just over 33,000 individuals to a primary health-care provider and will bolster Ontario health teams and primary care networks in Elgin, Middlesex, and London.
This announcement follows the allocation of $5.3 million for the region back in August and another $5.23 million for Oxford County earlier this week, all part of the broader Primary Care Action Plan.
“This is the preventative maintenance,” said Rob Flack, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, who shared news of the funding during an event at the former CASO train station in St. Thomas.
“If we get this right, and we will, and we get everyone connected to their doctor, it’s going to relieve a tremendous amount of pressure on our hospitals and allow them to focus on what they do best-providing specialized care. That’s what our doctors, nurse practitioners, and groups like Thames Valley (Family) Health Team excel at.”
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Mike Mc Mahon, CEO of Thames Valley Family Health Team; Amber Alpaugh-Bishop, executive director of Middlesex London Ontario Health Team; Deanna Huhggett, executive director of Elgin Ontario Health Team; and Rob Flack, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London photographed at Friday’s announcement in St. Thomas, Ont. (Thames Valley Family Health Team)
According to Thames Valley Family Health Team data, nearly $11 million will go to Middlesex County and London while Elgin County will receive $4.05 million. TVFHT is spearheading this initiative alongside Middlesex-London Ontario Health Team and Elgin Ontario Health Team.
“Since the pandemic began, our area.. has expanded by more than 40,000 residents and it’s projected to keep growing due to economic development efforts from companies like Power Co, Vianode, Dr. Oetker among others,” Flack noted.
“We also announced $285 million earlier this week for new schools in our area because healthcare is vital for everyone’s success and well-being.”
Mike Mc Mahon, CEO of TVFHT was unavailable for comment on Friday but released a statement through Flack’s office saying that this funding enables them “to take coordinated steps towards improving how people access health care within their community.”
“[i]n service to our community, and together with our partners, we will build and grow local health-care teams so more people can connect to primary health care earlier and get the support they need to live healthier lives,” his statement read.
The province has invested $3.4 billion into its Primary Care Action Plan claiming it successfully connected over 300,000 people with a healthcare provider as of March.
As of January nearly two million residents in Ontario still lacked a primary health-care provider.
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