The Chatham-Kent Family Health Team is calling on the government for extra funding to address doctor shortages.
Executive Director Laura Johnson says the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team has five sites across the municipality that are facing a lack of doctors, as many leave for retirement.
"We do need to replace physicians at all of the sites," she says. "We did reach out to [Chatham-Kent Essex MPP] Rick Nicholls to have a discussion about the shortage that we're facing and the struggle that we're having in recruiting physicians to see if there was any assistance that he could help us with."
Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls tweeted that he spoke on behalf of the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team at the House of Commons on Tuesday about its need for additional funding. He says he passed on the organization's funding concerns to Minister of Health Helena Jaczek.
Today I stood up for the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, which needs additional funding.
My last question of the 41st Parliament of Ontario!https://t.co/WLI0MPIQpD— Rick Nicholls (@RickNichollsCKL) May 8, 2018
Johnson says the health team is working hard to address the need for more doctors.
"We are hoping to be able to recruit additional physicians to offset some of the retirements that are possibly upcoming," she says. "Nothing is set in stone at this point, but certainly [it would be] to replace any of the physicians that have left Chatham-Kent for opportunities elsewhere in Ontario."
Johnson says while the health team is trying to recruit doctors, additional funding could help continue patient care.
"The availability of some potential dollars would help to offset the cost to recruit nurse practitioners to assist in the primary care of the patients [whose] physicians have either retired or don't have a family physician," she explains.
Johnson says the best way for a patient to find a family physician is to register with Healthcare Connect, which connects residents with health care professionals in their area.