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Today, the Province of Ontario announced the latest round of approved Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). One of the eight new OHTs will be the ‘Network 24 Ontario Health Team’, made up of health and social service providers in several municipalities in Renfrew County and South Algonquin Township. The name ‘Network 24 Ontario Health Team’ is a temporary one. A new name will be chosen in the near future.
More than 70 community health care partners in the area joined forces to develop new models of delivering timely and available patient care that ‘wraps around patients and their families’. Represented among those community partners are hospitals, long-term care homes, municipalities, paramedic services, primary care providers, agencies that provide social services, palliative care, homecare, community care, mental health and addictions care, and public health — as well as patients and caregivers.
Dr. Declan Rowan, family physician leader in the Pembroke / Petawawa area, has been very involved with the OHT development to date. He said that the recent announcement of the new regional health team is the beginning of a process to make health care more integrated and accessible for residents. “These are early stages, and we will continue to work hard to evolve and improve health and care for residents in our area”.
“Today’s welcomed announcement of a new Ontario Health Team for our area will result in a regional coordinated health care approach that will connect family physicians and their patients more effectively with hospitals, paramedics, long-term care, mental health services, community health centers, and other parts of the health care sector. We are pleased with the Province’s support and announcement. We look forward to working with our partners in the Network 24 Ontario Health Team to deliver high-quality coordinated care to our region’s residents,” Dr. Rowan said.
The initial focus of the Ontario Health Team will be on frail seniors and those struggling with mental health and addictions. Helping residents connect with family doctors and primary care teams is another priority. The catchment area covered by this newly announced Ontario Health Team includes a broad and diverse set of communities in and around the Ottawa Valley. The area stretches from Renfrew to Deep River, and includes the communities of Calabogie, Barry’s Bay, Eganville, Cobden, Pembroke, and Petawawa, as well as those along Highway 60 to South Algonquin Township. The area covers approximately 7,600 square kilometers and 80,000 residents.
Last year, the Ontario government began implementing its plan to build a new, integrated health care system for patients by announcing the first 24 Ontario Health Teams and Ontario Health, a single agency to oversee quality health care delivery, and improve clinical guidance and support for providers. The strong partnerships and integrated care established by Ontario Health Teams and Ontario Health has helped better position the province to respond quickly and effectively to COVID-19. For more information, please contact the Ontario Health Team Communication and Engagement Group for Network 24: Amy Joyce - amy.joyce@drdh.org
Carolyn Levesque - Carolyn.levesque@prh.email
Heather Coughlin - heather@pappin.com
Michael Barber - MBarber@countyofrenfrew.on.ca 
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