MISSISSAUGA — The Ontario government is investing $1.2 million to connect more people to primary care teams in Mississauga. This is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams, bringing the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care.
“As a registered nurse, I understand the importance of connecting more patients to primary care,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, MPP for Mississauga Centre. “This investment will help achieve better health outcomes for patients and their families right here in Mississauga. Our government is continuing to break down barriers to access, decrease wait times, tackle hallway health care, and build a healthier future for all Ontarians.”
Ontario currently leads the country with 90 percent of people connected to a regular health care provider. As a next step to close the gap for people not connected to primary care in the community, the province is supporting new interprofessional primary care teams in Mississauga.
In Mississauga, through Mississauga Health, Ontario Health Team (OHT), this funding will significantly grow primary care capacity and serve nearly 3400 residents in the community.
Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered and practical nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and dietitians, among others. Timely access to primary care helps people stay healthier for longer with faster diagnosis and treatment, as well as more consistent support managing their day-to-day health while relieving pressures on emergency departments and walk-in clinics.
“Our government is making record investments to ensure that everyone that wants to have a primary care provider can connect to one,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While there is more work to do, giving hundreds of thousands of more Ontarians the opportunity to connect to primary care brings us that much closer to this goal.”
In addition to other historic investments to expand medical school spots and efforts to break down barriers so highly-skilled internationally-trained doctors can care for people in Ontario, Ministry of Health modelling shows that these initiatives will help connect up to 98 per cent of people in Ontario to primary care in the next several years.
Since the launch of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care one year ago, the government has been making steady progress to ensure the health care system has become better equipped to respond to the needs of patients and provide them with the right care in the right place, faster access to services and access to an expanded health care workforce.
Quick Facts:
- As a next step to close the gap for the 1.3 million people not connected to primary care in the province, the government is making a record investment of $90 million to add over 400 new primary care providers as part of 78 new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams. The new and expanded teams will include Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Community Health Centres and Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations.
- Ontario’s investment of $90 million dollars triples the original $30 million dollars earmarked to expand interprofessional primary care teams and will deliver over four times as many initiatives as outlined in our Your Health Plan almost a year ago.
- The new and expanded teams are the result of a province-wide call for proposals that took place in 2023. All proposals were thoroughly reviewed by Ontario Health based on criteria prioritizing areas of greatest need, to connect a greater number of people currently without a regular primary care provider with these services closer to home.
- Ontario is the first province to have a publicly funded Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic program. This is in addition to the new Practice Ready Ontario Program that will add 50 new physicians this year.
- Ontario leads the country in how many people benefit from a long-term, stable relationship with a family doctor or primary care provider. Since 2018 the province has added over 80,000 new nurses and 10,300 new physicians to the health care system.
- Ontario invests over $1 billion in interprofessional primary care teams annually.
Quotes:
“Investing $1.2 million in Mississauga’s primary care teams will connect nearly 3,400 residents to essential health services, enhancing community health and easing pressure on emergency departments. This funding is a crucial step toward ensuring accessible primary care for every person in Ontario. “
– Nina Tangri
MPP for Mississauga—Streetsville
“Our government’s investment in primary care here in Mississauga re-affirms our commitment to a convenient and connected publicly-funded healthcare system. I’m grateful to Premier Ford and Minister Jones for their leadership and hard work to continue building Ontario’s healthcare infrastructure, making sure that every Ontarian is connected to the healthcare services they need and deserve.”
– Sheref Sabawy
MPP for Mississauga- Erin Mills
“Mississauga is a rapidly growing and diverse community, and only 10% have access to team-based primary care. This investment is an important steppingstone in the development of Integrated Primary Care Centres (IPCCs) in Mississauga, which will serve as hubs for coordinated, high-quality, culturally safe, and community-based health care. Our goal is to simplify access to essential services, particularly in underserved neighbourhoods like East Mississauga.”
– Dr. Sohal Goyal
Co-Chair Mississauga Health Ontario Health Team, Chair Mississauga Health Primary Care Network