OHT-N announces landmark in primary-care capacity
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By Cecilia Nasmith
The Ontario Health Team of Northumberland is celebrating a milestone in improving local access to primary care, with the clearing of its priority Health Care Connect waitlist of residents registered as of Jan. 1, 2025.
The announcement cites new team-based care funding and partnerships with local primary care provides and health-system partners, noting that local organizations have secured provincial funding to establish and expand Interdisciplinary Primary Care Teams to increase residents' access to team-based care.
“Together, these achievements support Ontario's goal of ensuring every resident is connected to a primary care provider or team by 2029,” it said.
In 2025, Ontario challenged Ontario Health Teams and primary-care partners to prioritize attaching residents who had been waiting the longest for a family physician or nurse practitioner through Health Care Connect.
Locally, OHT-N worked closely with local physicians, nurse practitioners, primary-care organizations, Health Care Connect co-ordinators and community partners to co-ordinate attachment efforts and connect residents with available providers. The result is that all residents registered prior to Jan. 1, 2025, have been offered attachment opportunities.
“Access to primary care is the foundation of a healthy community,” OHT-N Primary Care Lead Dr. Fraser Cameron said.
“We are proud of the progress we've made and remain committed to building a stronger, more connected system for everyone in Northumberland.”
Looking ahead, the announcement added, “local partners recognize that demand for primary care continues as new residents move to the area and others become unattached. To meet this need, Northumberland recently secured provincial funding to establish and expand Interprofessional Care Teams, strengthening local capacity and creating new opportunities to connect residents with team-based care.”
Residents without a local family doctor or nurse practitioner are encouraged to register with Health Care Connect, Ontario's centralized patient attachment program.
