PARTNER WITH US
Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan sets out strong strategic and operational direction. With unmatched reach, sector insight, and implementation expertise, AFHTO supports government and system partners in building the strong, stable, team-based primary care system Ontarians deserve.
PARTNER WITH US
The Primary Care Action Plan sets out strong strategic and operational direction. With unmatched reach, sector insight, and implementation expertise, we support government and system partners in building the strong, stable, team-based primary care system Ontarians deserve.
A Province-Wide Network That Cares
Ontario has the right goal — AFHTO is the partner positioned to deliver it.
One in four Ontarians receives care at an AFHTO member organization. Our 189 member teams serve more than 3.6 million Ontarians, with an additional 400,000 unattached patients relying on our teams for care.
AFHTO represents the largest, most sophisticated team-based primary care infrastructure in Ontario. Our workforce includes:
Family
Physicians
Practitioners
Your Knowledge Broker and System Partner
AFHTO is more than a representative body — we are do-ers and builders. We bring together our teams through one unified voice of the sector, connect decision-makers to frontline realities, and work alongside partners to design and implement practical, scalable solutions.
From Insight to Action
We bring direct, real-time feedback from teams across the province – what’s working, what’s not, and where bottlenecks are emerging – translated into digestible and actionable next steps, co-developed with members and system partners.
Anticipating and Shaping Change
We identify risks before they build, helping decision-makers avoid reactive responses. But we don’t stop at identifying challenges — we work with partners to shape proactive solutions that keep momentum moving forward.
Implementation Expertise
Our members have decades of experience developing, growing, and improving team-based care models across rural, urban, and remote settings. AFHTO helps translate policy and strategy into real-world application — supporting implementation, shared learning, and continuous improvement across the sector.
When the province needs to know how a policy will play out in real life, AFHTO is the partner with the answers, and we can mobilize teams quickly when the system needs to respond.
Our Partnerships
Ontario has a historic opportunity to transform primary care. AFHTO brings the expertise, and leadership needed to ensure that transformation succeeds – and we’re ready to partner.
Primary Care Collaborative
AFHTO continues to play a leading role in the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC), which recently confirmed updated terms of reference to strengthen coordination and collective influence. The PCC serves as a unified voice to advance equitable, person-centred primary care in Ontario by addressing systemic barriers that prevent primary care from being the true foundation of the health system. Together with our partners we engage regularly with policymakers at the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, regional leads, and the Primary Care Action Team.
Through this collaboration, we have provided direct input on expansion efforts to increase attachment, pressed for stronger resourcing, and advanced a cohesive vision for primary care transformation that reflects the evolving needs of patients, providers, and communities across the province.
Members of PCC Include:
- Alliance for Healthier Communities
- Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
- Indigenous Primary Care Council
- Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic Association
- Ontario College of Family Physicians
- Section of General and Family Practice
OurCare
AFHTO is proud to sit on the Advisory Committee for the OurCare Standards under the leadership of Dr. Tara Kiran.
There have been two cycles of development for the OurCare Report and Standards. AFHTO has been a proud member throughout that time.
OurCare research team engaged nearly 10,000 people about their experiences with primary care and their values, ideas, and hopes for the future and improvement of that care.
The conversation placed special emphasis on engaging people who have the greatest needs of care, face the greatest barriers to accessing care, and are most likely to be excluded from policy-making decisions about primary care.
Most recently a new report was released reflecting additional insight from Canadians on their expectations and experience of receiving care.
RESEARCH
This year marked the final year of our three-year research partnership with the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Section on General and Family Practice to collectively advance the primary care team research agenda. Under Dr. Monica Aggarwal’s leadership, the collaboration delivered significant outputs, including two major publications solidifying the evidence base for strengthening primary care systems in Canada. Download them today!
For Us, For You Campaign
AFHTO is a part of a coalition of ten provincial community and primary care organizations raising awareness of a growing wage gap impacting the care millions of Ontarians rely on.
The campaign, entitled For Us, For You, highlights the need for urgent investments in Ontario’s community health sector (including primary care) to ensure crucial services and supports remain available to meet the needs of Ontarians of all ages. To read more about our work with For Us For You, visit the Key Priorities Page!