The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) announced Wednesday the expansion of team-based primary care at its Chippewa of the Thames First Nation and Newbury sites thanks to provincial funding.
According to a release, the Ministry of Health has given $807,000 to Newbury, so that primary care services can be expanded and be open five days per week, making care more accessible to the community.
The Chippewa of the Thames site also received $613,000 in funding.
“The need for primary care services in these communities is great, and with this increase in funding, we will be able to accept clients who have been on our waitlist for months or years," said Christi-Ann Poulette, Integrated Care Manager at SOAHAC’s Chippewa of the Thames site. "This means that people will finally be able to access culturally-aware, wholistic health care in their own community, which will make a significant impact in their health and quality of life.”
At SOAHAC, 68 per cent of clients need to access three or more service providers to support their needs, and on average, clients have 13 encounters with the SOAHAC team each year. The centre says the increase in team-based primary care will allow more patients to access crucial programs and services while maintaining a high standard of care.
“This investment by the province in SOAHAC, under the leadership of Premier Ford and Minister Jones, will significantly grow our primary care capacity in Muncey and Newbury,” said Rob Flack, Member of Provincial Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London. “This is great news for our region and will serve residents in these communities well.”
To learn more about the SOAHAC, visit soahac.on.ca.