KENORA, Ont. — The Kenora area has been chosen for one of the first of 24 Ontario Health Teams, a new model aimed at ending hallway medicine in the province.
The All Nations Health Partners Ontario Health team includes 15 providers and leaders from urban and rural communities in the Kenora and Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls areas.
Among the members are the Kenora Chiefs Advisory and the Kenora Metis Council.
The partners provide a range of care including hospital, community support services, primary care organizations, long-term care, and municipal services.
Under its new model of organizing and delivering health care around the province, the government has said patients will experience easier transitions from one provider to another, with "one patient story, one patient record, and one care plan."
In announcing the Kenora team on Wednesday, the province said it will begin its work with a "focused" group of patients receiving their services through integrated primary care teams and the broader Ontario Health Team partners.
The process, it said, will unfold in phases, and over time the team will take responsibility for everyone within the All Nations Health Partners' population.
Chief Lorraine Cobiness, president of the Kenora Chiefs Advisory, said "For over a decade, our Chiefs, our elders and our youth have guided us and provided a clear message for our partnerships to focus on a wholistic approach to health care. We are proud to be moving forward with the All Nations Health Partners team in transforming the health care system in our homeland."
Cobiness said the objective is to deliver culturally appropriate health care services from hospital to home.
One of the group's priorities will be developing a 24/7 rapid response crisis intervention service for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
Canadian Mental Health Association (Kenora) Executive-Director Sara Dias said "Developing a crisis response model for a broad geographical area is a challenging but necessary step in order to build a seamless, integrated and coordinated care system."
The team plans to implement some programs and services in 2020, and will communicate with patients and families about changes they can expect in their community.
