Ontario Minister of Health Christine Elliott will be in Guelph on Friday and it is expected she will be announcing the area has been given the okay to form a new Ontario Health Team.
She will be making an announcement at the Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service headquarters at 160 Clair Rd., W. at 3:30 p.m.
Guelph will be one of the first of the expected 31 teams being set up around the province.
A local health care practitioner involved in the forming of the local team told GuelphToday that the announcement is the green light for a local Ontario Health Team.
Ontario Health Teams are the province's new model for providing a variety of healthcare services in localized areas. They will be replacing the current Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs).
The Ontario Health Teams will be a collaboration of various health and social service providers united to provide a more thorough, coordinated and streamlined access to local healthcare services.
The Guelph and Area Ontario Health Team which submitted its proposal to the province several weeks ago consists of 14 core partners, ranging from Guelph General Hospital and The Elliot Guelph Community Health Centre and Stonehenge Therapeutic Community.
Once approved, it's expected to be up and running by April 1.
The Guelph and Area Ontario Health Team will cover Guelph and Wellington County east to Erin and south to Puslinch. In total 165,000 people.
According to the Ontario government, the new health team will:
-
know people’s complete health history
-
be aware of health care services in the specific area
-
help people navigate the system 24/7
-
ensure referrals get to the right place
-
receive and share health records with individuals, such as test results
-
provide people with digital options, such as online access to health records and virtual care
