Chatham-Kent to expand primary care with $1.37M provincial investment

Thousands of Chatham-Kent residents who don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner are expected to gain access to one through new provincial funding announced Friday.

The Ontario government is providing $1,375,900 to the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT) to expand team-based primary care in rural communities. The investment will connect about 3,000 residents to a family doctor or nurse practitioner through local family health teams and community health centres.

Currently, more than 25 per cent of Chatham-Kent residents do not have access to a regular primary care provider.

The CKOHT says patients will benefit from ongoing, comprehensive care that includes regular checkups, preventive screenings and chronic disease management. Care teams also include allied health professionals such as nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and dietitians.

“This funding is a much-needed boost for our community,” said Dr. Andrew Su, CKOHT Physician Co-Chair and practicing family physician in Chatham-Kent. “It means thousands of residents will now have access to a trusted primary care provider who knows them, understands their health history and can guide them through their health journey.”

The Ontario government says the initiative is part of a broader $213 million investment to create or expand up to 80 primary care teams across the province.

It marks the first phase of a larger commitment of more than $1.8 billion in primary care, with the goal of connecting two million more people to publicly funded primary care services within four years.

“This is great news,” exclaimed Chatham-Kent mayor Darrin Canniff. “When you take 3000 people that don’t have primary health care and they can have it now, it’s a great day.”

“Certainly cause for concern for the last several years, because a lot of people don’t have doctors,” he continued. “This is a step forward. We have a lot of work to do yet. The municipality works with the health team. We provide some funding as well to find doctors. We want to attract doctors here.”

By 2029, Ontario aims to ensure every resident has access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner working in a team-based model.

CKOHT says it will continue working with local health organizations over the next five years to further expand primary care access, with a long-term goal of ensuring every individual in Chatham-Kent has a provider close to home.

Residents without a family doctor or nurse practitioner can register through Health Care Connect by calling 1-888-579-6707 or emailing [e-mail].