The Ontario government is investing $321,000 in the Powassan and Area Family Health Team. Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli made the announcement on April 19, noting the funds will help expand the Health Team’s services “to connect more people to interdisciplinary primary care.”
The government expects this additional funding will directly affect more than 2,300 patients.
“Our government continues to make strategic investments that contribute to a supportive and connected health care system in Nipissing,” Fedeli said, specifying that “this funding will support a full-time RPN and mental health clinician” who will serve Bonfield and South River.
Additionally, the funding will “provide additional access to physiotherapy services in the area.”
Fedeli’s office also made clear that this funding 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.”
The government has increased funding to achieve this goal, and others, Fedeli noted. “Health funding from the province has increased from $50 billion when we were elected to $80 billion today, but there’s more to do.”
He mentioned a new school of medicine is underway in Brampton, and one in Scarborough as well, “and in the budget, we just announced a new school of medicine at York University” in Toronto. “This is part of the program to graduate more doctors,” Fedeli said.
Anna Gibson, the executive director of the Powassan and Area Family Health Team, said she and her team “are thrilled to receive this funding.” The funds allow the team to provide their services and programs to patients at the Bonfield and South River / Machar medical centres.
“Work is well underway to start offering the first of these services in the coming months,” Gibson said.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
