News

 Wishing a joyful holiday to you, your family and community!  

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released the report: An External Evaluation of the Family Health Teams (FHT) Initiative. It is a longitudinal study over the period from Dec. 2008 to November 2013, prepared by the Conference Board of Canada under contract to the ministry. AFHTO has prepared a summary of this 311-page report.

Dec. 15 - St. Michael’s Academic Hospital FHT was profiled for their work addressing patients’ income security in the Toronto Star. Dr. Andrew Pinto and Karen Tomlinson (both of whom presented on this project at AFHTO’s 2014 conference) along with Dr. Gary Bloch were all recognized for their innovative focus on one of the key social determinants of health. Click here for further details.

Dec. 15 - Health Quality Ontario’s (HQO) End-of-Life Health Care in Ontario report was released today. Click here to download the full report and recommendations. The report addresses where the health system must improve to ensure the best end-of-life care for all Ontarians, and highlights the need for an increased number of professionals trained in palliative care.

On Thursday, November 27, 2014 the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) held their 2014 President’s Installation and Awards Ceremony as part of their 52^nd Annual Scientific Assembly. Family health teams and their affiliated physicians figured prominently in the proceedings, not the least of which was London Family Health Team’s Dr.

Nov. 26 - The government of Ontario announced the launch of a pilot program as part of the province’s Low Back Pain Strategy. Six AFHTO member organizations will be participating in this pilot:

Health Quality Ontario has just released its yearly report on Ontario’s health system, Measuring Up. The section on primary care presents indicators related to access to primary care, patient experience and recommended screening tests, with some comparisons at the LHIN, provincial and international levels.  Click here to view the full report.

Congratulations to Dr. Linda Lee of the Centre for Family Medicine FHT. Announced at Health Quality Transformation 2014, Dr. Lee has been awarded a Minister’s Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality & Safety. The award is for her work with CFFM’s Primary Care Memory Clinic (an initiative for which she also received a 2012 Bright Lights award.) Drs.

• QIP Education and Navigator Training to prepare for the launch of the QIP Navigator on Nov. 24
• Nominate an individual for The Change Foundation’s 20 Faces of Change Awards by Nov.

Dr. John McDonald, a 2014 Bright Lights Award recipient is interviewed for a profile on his work providing inter-professional health care to patients and promoting the system across Ontario and beyond in the Brantford Expositor. Click here to read the full article.