Mayor Terry Richardson, Dr. Tom Touzel, Dr. Kim Morrison, and Jordan Beattie - Director, Regional Services and Partnerships at Kingston Community Health Centres - Photo by Emily Chatwood/myFM News
The Town of Greater Napanee has entered into a gifting agreement with Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC) to provide funding in the amount of $313,476 annually for two years. This funding will assist KCHC in taking over operational and governance responsibilities for the Greater Napanee Health Home.
The Greater Napanee Health Home aims to offer more coordinated care and improve access to necessary healthcare services. It will serve as a central hub for all healthcare needs, where family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will work together as a team to address the health and wellness needs of the community. Healthcare professionals can operate at the highest level of their abilities, which enhances capacity and availability of primary care services. Patients will be connected to the entire healthcare team and can receive appropriate care when needed from the most suitable provider.
Greater Napanee Mayor Terry Richardson noted this is not a clinic. He went on to highlight some of the benefits of this agreement.
The Greater Napanee Health Home is part of the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team (FLA OHT). The FLA OHT is working to ensure every single person in the region has access to the care they need to achieve their best health. It is estimated that over 5,000 of Greater Napanee’s 16,000 residents are not rostered to a family physician or nurse practitioner.
Richardson says they have a lot of faith in the team and are confident that they’ll be able to get to where they need to be. Dr. Kim Morrison agreed.
This agreement will encourage new family physicians and nurse practitioners to establish practices in Greater Napanee without having to handle administrative tasks, which can detract from patient care. This new approach replaces the Town’s Physician Recruitment program and improves the overall efficiency of the healthcare system.
Residents without a primary care provider are encouraged to register through Health Care Connect by phone at 1-800-445-1822 or online. Once registered on Health Care Connect, residents will be added to their local waitlist for a primary care provider. More information on the Greater Napanee Health Home will be available in the coming weeks.
Written by Emily Chatwood
