Rural health care in Waterloo Region gets funding boost

Investment aims to improve access to primary care

Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris and Jess Dixon, MPP for Kitchener South – Hespeler take questions from the media at Tuesday’s primary care funding announcement in Kitchener. Lee Griffi photo

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The provincial government has pledged over $4 million to connect more people to primary care in the Waterloo Region, including rural areas.

The investment is part of the government’s Primary Care Action Plan that it said will help connect 300,000 people to primary care this year.

“Connecting every person in our community to a primary care provider will improve health outcomes and quality of life,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris. “This investment of $4.1 million will expand the incredible work of local health teams, including Community Healthcaring KW, New Vision Family Health Team, Waterloo Region Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic and the Woolwich Community Health Centre (CHC), and connect thousands of residents across Waterloo Region to the care they deserve. I’m proud to see our region leading the way in building a more connected and accessible health-care system.”

Ben Hesch is the chief executive officer at the Woolwich CHC and said their portion of the funding will allow two new physicians to set up shop in Wellesley.

“Woolwich Community Health Centre is grateful for the government’s investment to bring over 2,600 residents of Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and surrounding areas into the care of our integrated primary care team,” he said. “We look forward to working alongside our KW4 OHT partners to continue bringing excellent health care to our communities.”

Hesch explained his organization is in the enviable position of having frontline practitioners knocking at their door.

“We’ve got physicians who want to work for us, nurse practitioners, and I have no concern about recruiting. The concern is making sure the minister of health understands we have the folks ready to work. Minister Harris has done a good job in helping to bring that voice.”

He added the organization is looking to expand into Wilmot Township when it comes to bricks and mortar, and the funding is a step in that direction.

“It has a special place in my heart growing up in the community and I know how underserviced it is there. We’ve been working with Mayor (Natasha) Salonen to look at opportunities to bring a health home there to serve the folks of Wilmot and the surrounding area.”

Hesch explained they have a few potential sites in mind and some community partners are ready to work with them.

The organizations earned the funding through a recent call for proposals identified by postal code with the highest number of residents not connected to primary care, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist. Each successful team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their postal codes and demonstrated readiness to achieve significant progress within a year.

“We know there are so many more people out there without access,” said Hesch. “There are over 8,000 folks without a primary care provider in the N0B postal code. We’re looking forward to future investment to bring them in to.”

Harris explained his government is committed to improving health-care options in rural areas of his riding.

“When you look at the new community health centre opening in beautiful Wellesley Township, when you look at all the other programming in any of our four townships, it’s a renewed investment that we haven’t seen in quite some time. We are very keen on making sure rural Ontario is looked after.”

He added other provincial investments are also making a difference in  the lives of Ontarians living in rural areas, particularly seniors and farmers.

“It’s not just about physical health care. It’s about the other pieces that go with it when we are talking about programming around seniors. We have an older demographic living in the more rural areas and we’ve seen a lot of great investment into our senior’s centres. Investments have also been made by the Ministry of Agriculture into farmer’s mental health. The goal is to help people where and when they need it so they won’t have to go into the city.”     

“I would like to thank the Ontario Government for providing critical funding to support Woolwich Community Health Centre’s expansion of health-care services and thank Minister Harris for his advocacy,” said Wellesley Township Mayor Joe Nowak. “This is a positive step forward, connecting more residents of Wellesley Township with a primary care provider. As our community grows, I look forward to subsequent rounds of funding to continue towards the goal of providing access to primary health care for all our residents.”