The primary care partners of the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team are submitting a proposal to the province to address the critical primary care deficit in the region.
Officials say the proposal includes the establishment of new inter-professional teams at the Coboconk Summitt Wellness Centre, Woodville Medical Centre and Minden Health Hub this fall.
The Health Team says current data shows there are nearly 6,902 residents across the area not attached to a primary care provider, including 1,566 residents registered on Health Care Connect.
According to local officials, their plan would connect 800 patients to a primary care provider this fall, 3,900 patients to primary care by March 2026, 7,000 patients to primary care by March of 2027, and 9,000 patients to care by March 2028.
In January, the province announced a plan to invest $235 million dollars to establish and expand up to 80 additional primary care teams, attaching 300,000 more people to ongoing primary care. It is part of a larger $1.8 billion plan to connect 2 million people to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team within four years.
Officials say Haliburton County has been identified as a priority community under the provincial plan.
