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Six New Family Health Teams Open In Toronto

McGuinty Government Providing Faster Access To Stronger Family Health Care

January 26, 2012

Torontonians in need of a family doctor now have more access to care as six more Family Health Teams (FHTs) have opened in the city.

The Village Family Health Team is one of six Toronto-area FHTs opened in 2011. Patients of the Village FHT can access care faster with same-day appointments and after-hours care four evenings a week and on Saturdays. As the Village FHT continues to grow, it will expand its chronic disease and mental health programs, eventually caring for 10,000 patients.

There are now 21 FHTs in Toronto providing high-quality, interdisciplinary health care – and the total number of FHTs province-wide has now reached 200.

In Toronto, the new FHTs will serve 316,000 patients, including almost 86,000 people who previously did not have access to a family doctor.

Helping Ontarians get faster access to stronger family health care is part of the McGuinty government's action plan to transform healthcare.

QUOTES

“Investments in Family Health Teams like this one in Liberty Village means Torontonians will have faster, more convenient access to family health care. We will continue to strengthen the role of family doctors in our health care system and provide patients with more access to after-hours care and same-day or next-day appointments.”
— Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“As front-line health care providers, we are excited about delivering high quality, multidisciplinary, patient-centred care through the Family Health Team. By coming together to form a Family Health Team, we are now able to provide care to more patients in a more integrated way.”
— Dr. Tania Tajirian, Village Family Health Team

“Ontario’s doctors know that more Family Health Teams (FHT)’s means more patients will have access to the care they need, when they need it.  We are strong advocates for the expansion of collaborative care like the Family Health Team model because when physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health professionals work together, we can deliver a more comprehensive level of care to more patients.”
— Stewart Kennedy, MD, President Ontario Medical Association Care

QUICK FACTS

• In addition to the Village Family Health Team, five new FHTs are open and accepting patients in Toronto including: Sunnybrook Academic FHT, West Park FHT, Humber River FHT, East GTA FHT and Don Mills FHT.
• Ontario’s 200 Family Health Teams will provide primary care to more than three million people.
• The opening of 200 FHTs in Ontario has created over 2,800 jobs in the healthcare sector.
• Currently, there are over 2,300 family doctors who work with Ontario FHTs.
• About 2.1 million more Ontarians now have access to a family doctor, compared to 2003.

Ontario's Health Care Connect program has helped more than 109,000 people find a family doctor or nurse practitioner since it was launched in February 2009.

LEARN MORE

Find out more about Family Health Teams.

Looking for a family health care provider? Visit the Health Care Options website for location details and contact information for all of the Toronto FHTs.

BACKGROUNDER

Toronto’s New Family Health Teams

Members of the media:

Zita Astravas, 416-327-9728
Minister's Office

David Jensen, 416-314-6197
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care