The Prince Edward Family Health Team has been recognized with a Spotlight Award for its work in expanding access to team-based primary care.
The award comes from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario.
In February, the Prince Edward team launched the Community Clinic for Unattached Patients, staffed by nurse practitioners, a family physician, nursing and administrative support and other allied health professionals.
The clinic was first designed to provide acute episodic care for a specified list of symptoms.
It then transitioned to provide problem-specific primary care as opposed to a short list of symptoms.
Patients who have accessed care through the Community Clinic are also able to receive care through one of the family health team’s specialized clinical programs such as Diabetes Education and Lung Health.
Community Clinic Data
• 430+ patients cared for
• 600+ unique patient interactions including follow ups
• 128+ patients referred to internal specialized PEFHT programs
• 43+ external specialist referrals
• 277+ lab requisitions
• 87+ diagnostic requisitions
“We are honoured to receive this recognition. Community need for access to primary care has never been greater in our community. Primary care has been a part of our health care system that has been underfunded and inadequately resourced for quite some time. Our average age in the County is much higher than the provincial average and as our community ages and demographics change, the dependency on our local health care system increases. The latest announcement of the appointment of Dr. Jane Philpott as the Chair of the Provincial Primary Care Action Team is encouraging news and we’re hopeful that we will finally see some of the change we’ve needed for years for patients and providers.” – Dr. Sarah Le Blanc – PEFHT Board President.
“There is an inequity in our local health care system where some residents have access to public primary health care services and some do not. The reality is, that we should all have access to the primary care we need and when we need it. PEFHT recognizes the importance of access to primary care and the role it plays in ensuring that residents have the best possible health throughout their lives. I am proud of the creative and innovative work that the team has done with the limited resourcing we have over the past year, but further resourcing is required to make the biggest impact.” – Barinder Gill, PEFHT Executive Director.
