Thanks for Letters of Support for Lively Medical Centre Application re: Shared Care Pilot Site
Thanks for Your Letters of Support for Dr. Bayly, Dr.Hayes & Dr. Koop's Application to MOH re: Shared Care Pilot Site intitative
...funding Nurse Practitioner/s - to act as another primary health care providers at Lively Medical Centre:
An Application has been submitted by Dr.Bayly,Dr.Hayes and Dr. Koop, at the Lively Medical centre to take part in the: MOHLTC 'Shared Care Pilot Site' intitative...involving funding Nurse Practioner/s- to act as another primary health care provider at LMC.
The Deadline for Applications re: the 6 Shared Care Pilot Sites was extended to Oct.23/06.
Thanks to all the individuals, 'orphaned' patients, families & community groups for emailing/mailing your Letters of Support for the Lively Medical Centre Application :
Our Ward 2 Councillors: Eldon Gainer & Terry Kett
CARP- Board of Directors...representing 4,000+ members
Walden Day Care Centre
Walden Seniors & Pensioners Inc.
Walden Minor Hockey Association
Sudbury Diabetes Association
Pat & John James, Penage Rd area
Sheila Prusila
Amanda & Grant Turcotte & family * orphaned patients
Aaron Dent & Allison Muckle
Marte Holouka & extended family
Lynn Quinn, orphaned patient
Loretta Tompkins, Palliative Care volunteer
* these are just examples of range of community support
If approved, the Shared care Pilot Site would provide new life and energy to LMC, expanded primary health care services to patients in Walden and a much more attractive & effective work environment - to help recruit family physicians - to live and/or work in Walden.
The Co-Chair of Walden-CAN Steering Committee prepared a Letter of Support for Application of LMC too,on Oct. 14/06 * see below
Maggie Fleming, Senior Policy Consultant MOH
3rd Floor, 80 Queen St.,
Kingston, ON K7K 6W7
Dear Ms Fleming:
In Nov.05, residents of Walden - including the communities of Den Lou, Beaver Lake, Penage Rd., Naughton, Whitefish, Lively-Mikela and south-end – formed the Walden-Community Action Network (Walden-CAN). The #1 issue identified – at each level of the process - was the future status of primary health care services at the Lively Medical Centre (LMC) – the only medical centre in Walden. The number of family physicians was going to be reduced to 2 – following the retirement of Dr. Carscadden and the move of Dr. Mitchell to Sudbury. Everyone was concerned about how this would impact the future of the LMC.
In Feb./05, our doctors at LMC had submitted a proposal to MOHLTC re: setting up a FHT in Walden. It was rejected. Dr. Chris McKibbon’s submitted his City of Lakes – FHT proposal – with 4 FHTs in outlying areas. It was accepted.
Our community was concerned about the future of LMC and the status of primary health care services in Walden. In Dec./06, the Walden-CAN established a Health Services Task Force to investigate the issues and report back to the Steering Committee and the community.
From Jan. – April/06, the Walden-CAN HSTF met with Key Players - impacting the future of primary health care services in Walden: young family physicians, Dr. Bayly & Dr. Koop, LMC; Ray Hunt, MOHLTC; Catherine Matheson, City of Greater Sudbury; Dr. Chris McKibbon, City of Lakes–FHT and Dr. Morris of The Morris Group - who were interested in purchasing the LMC Building. We gathered facts re: City & Provincial Grants & Incentives for the recruitment and retention of family physicians in under serviced areas; MOHLTC funding models re: family physicians; nurse practitioners – roles & responsibilities, funding models and ‘vacant’ NP positions and the newly approved City of Lakes-FHT. It was a very steep learning curve.
The Walden-CAN HSTF analyzed the data and in May /06 recommended that the Walden-CAN work with the new owners of the LMC, our local doctors at LMC, our Councilors and the community in any way we could:
a. To help ensure stability of primary health care services at LMC
b. To help inform new family physicians that Walden is a welcoming, healthy and active community
c. To support any new initiatives by our doctors at LMC which would strengthen and enhance the primary health care services provided by LMC
The Health Services BLOG, on the our Walden-CAN website at http://www.walden-can.com/ enabled us to reach the public - in a new way – sharing all the facts and information the HSTF had gathered, the issues impacting health services in Walden and the latest status of LMC.
With the purchase of LMC building by the Morris Group, in September - several significant stumbling blocks re: the recruitment of family physicians - were removed. Renovations could made, leases could be signed and incentives could be offered.
In October/06, we were excited to learn about the Application by Dr. Bayly, Dr. Hayes and Dr. Koop re: MOHLTC’s ‘Shared care Pilot Site’ initiative and the opportunity it presented - If approved- for our doctors to hire nurse practitioner/s – to work as part of the primary health care team at LMC.
We already have nurse practitioners living in Walden, who are forced to work out-of-town because there are no positions available in Sudbury. And we have numerous ‘orphaned’ patients and individuals & families who have never been able to find a family physician and need primary health care services.
The Walden-CAN Steering Committee strongly supports the Application of the Lively CSC Application. Our under serviced community needs the support of the MOHLTO - to help ensure the stability of LMC. Dr. Bayly and Dr. Koop are getting close to retirement. The young Family Medicine residents at the Northern Ontario Medical School have years to complete, before they can be hired. It’s very difficult for LMC to recruit new family physicians, to an overworked, understaffed medical center. The introduction of nurse practitioner/s to the primary health care team would provide: new life and energy to the LMC, expanded health services to patients in Walden and a much more attractive and productive work environment, to help recruit family physicians – to live and/or work in Walden.
Thank you for your consideration,
Yours sincerely,
Gwen Doyle, Co-Chair, Walden-CAN Steering Committee
Maggie Fleming, Senior Policy Consultant MOH
3rd Floor, 80 Queen St.,
Kingston, ON K7K 6W7
Dear Ms Fleming:
In Nov.05, residents of Walden - including the communities of Den Lou, Beaver Lake, Penage Rd., Naughton, Whitefish, Lively-Mikela and south-end – formed the Walden-Community Action Network (Walden-CAN). The #1 issue identified – at each level of the process - was the future status of primary health care services at the Lively Medical Centre (LMC) – the only medical centre in Walden. The number of family physicians was going to be reduced to 2 – following the retirement of Dr. Carscadden and the move of Dr. Mitchell to Sudbury. Everyone was concerned about how this would impact the future of the LMC.
In Feb./05, our doctors at LMC had submitted a proposal to MOHLTC re: setting up a FHT in Walden. It was rejected. Dr. Chris McKibbon’s submitted his City of Lakes – FHT proposal – with 4 FHTs in outlying areas. It was accepted.
Our community was concerned about the future of LMC and the status of primary health care services in Walden. In Dec./06, the Walden-CAN established a Health Services Task Force to investigate the issues and report back to the Steering Committee and the community.
From Jan. – April/06, the Walden-CAN HSTF met with Key Players - impacting the future of primary health care services in Walden: young family physicians, Dr. Bayly & Dr. Koop, LMC; Ray Hunt, MOHLTC; Catherine Matheson, City of Greater Sudbury; Dr. Chris McKibbon, City of Lakes–FHT and Dr. Morris of The Morris Group - who were interested in purchasing the LMC Building. We gathered facts re: City & Provincial Grants & Incentives for the recruitment and retention of family physicians in under serviced areas; MOHLTC funding models re: family physicians; nurse practitioners – roles & responsibilities, funding models and ‘vacant’ NP positions and the newly approved City of Lakes-FHT. It was a very steep learning curve.
The Walden-CAN HSTF analyzed the data and in May /06 recommended that the Walden-CAN work with the new owners of the LMC, our local doctors at LMC, our Councilors and the community in any way we could:
a. To help ensure stability of primary health care services at LMC
b. To help inform new family physicians that Walden is a welcoming, healthy and active community
c. To support any new initiatives by our doctors at LMC which would strengthen and enhance the primary health care services provided by LMC
The Health Services BLOG, on the our Walden-CAN website at http://www.walden-can.com/ enabled us to reach the public - in a new way – sharing all the facts and information the HSTF had gathered, the issues impacting health services in Walden and the latest status of LMC.
With the purchase of LMC building by the Morris Group, in September - several significant stumbling blocks re: the recruitment of family physicians - were removed. Renovations could made, leases could be signed and incentives could be offered.
In October/06, we were excited to learn about the Application by Dr. Bayly, Dr. Hayes and Dr. Koop re: MOHLTC’s ‘Shared care Pilot Site’ initiative and the opportunity it presented - If approved- for our doctors to hire nurse practitioner/s – to work as part of the primary health care team at LMC.
We already have nurse practitioners living in Walden, who are forced to work out-of-town because there are no positions available in Sudbury. And we have numerous ‘orphaned’ patients and individuals & families who have never been able to find a family physician and need primary health care services.
The Walden-CAN Steering Committee strongly supports the Application of the Lively CSC Application. Our under serviced community needs the support of the MOHLTO - to help ensure the stability of LMC. Dr. Bayly and Dr. Koop are getting close to retirement. The young Family Medicine residents at the Northern Ontario Medical School have years to complete, before they can be hired. It’s very difficult for LMC to recruit new family physicians, to an overworked, understaffed medical center. The introduction of nurse practitioner/s to the primary health care team would provide: new life and energy to the LMC, expanded health services to patients in Walden and a much more attractive and productive work environment, to help recruit family physicians – to live and/or work in Walden.
Thank you for your consideration,
Yours sincerely,
Gwen Doyle, Co-Chair, Walden-CAN Steering Committee
Secretary,Walden-CAN HSTF
Jim Palys, Vice-Chair Walden-CAN HSTF prepared a Letter of Support:
Walden-CAN
Health Services Task Force
October 9, 2006
Last November, the Health Services Task Force was created to collect information pertaining to the reasons for and the potential solutions to the current health-care crisis in the Walden area. A growing number of patients in Walden find themselves without access to a primary care physician due to a number of factors.
The Lively Medical Centre once housed four full-time medical practices and although the utilization of primary care medicine has increased, only two full-time family physicians remain.
If a solution to increase access to primary care is not found, the health needs of patients in the Walden area will continue to be unaddressed. This, in turn will lead to an increase in complications and hospitalizations as a result of previously undetected medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Patients without family doctors do not typically undergo routine physical exams and only see an after hours physician when they truly feel sick.
An application has been made by the physicians at the Lively Medical Centre to take part in the Shared Care Pilot Program. This program would involve funding of a nurse practitioner for the Lively Medical Centre. A nurse practitioner would act as another primary care health provider and would allow the immediate enhancement of the healthcare of patients within the community.
The Health Services Task Force enthusiastically supports this application and sees this approach as a first step in further meeting the health care needs of the patients of the Walden area.
Sincerely,
Jim Palys BSc. Pharmacy
Vice-Chair, Walden-CAN
Health Services Task Force
Now we wait to see if the Lively Medical Centre will be selected as one of the 6 Shared Care Pilot Sites in Ontario.
