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Improving Rural And Northern Health Care

McGuinty Government Seeking Input To Address Unique Health Care Challenges

January 12, 2011

News

Ontarians are being asked to provide their feedback on how to provide the best access to quality health care services in rural and northern areas of the province.
 
Specifically, Ontarians are invited to respond to recommendations made by the Rural and Northern Health Care Panel.  There are a number of ways that the public can make its views known – including online at www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth, by phone and in-person at roundtable discussions in rural communities across the province.

The roundtable discussions will take place throughout the province including Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard), Burford, Hanover, Drayton, Shelburne, Petrolia, Renfrew, Picton, Haliburton, Orillia and Dryden.  Residents can register to participate in these sessions at www.ontario.ca/ruralnorthernhealth.

Improving access to health care services in rural and northern Ontario is part of the province's Open Ontario plan to ensure quality health care services for all patients while improving accountability.

QUOTES

“All Ontarians expect and deserve access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live. That’s why, as part of our plan, we’re looking for input from Ontarians on the best way to make sure that those living in rural and northern communities get the care they need, when they need it, as close to home as possible.”
- Liz Sandals, Parliamentary Assistant, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Co-Lead for the Rural and Northern Health Care Consultations

“The Rural and Northern Health Care Panel has done a tremendous job in laying out a vision for rural and northern health care. We’re now looking to Ontarians to help fully develop this into a framework that meets the unique needs and challenges of rural and northern communities.”
- Rick Johnson, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock and Co-Lead for the Rural and Northern Health Care Consultations

QUICK FACTS

• More than 1.9 million Ontarians live in rural, remote and northern areas of the province.
• The government has created more than 80 new Family Health Teams in rural and northern Ontario.
• When the Northern Ontario School of Medicine opened in September 2005, it became the first new medical school in Canada in over 30 years.

LEARN MORE

Find out more about the Rural and Northern Health Care Report.
Find out how you can get involved in the consultations.

backgrounder

Rural And Northern Health Care Consultations

Members of the media:

Neala Barton, 416-327-4388
Minister's Office

David Jensen, 416-314-6197
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
ontario.ca/health-news