Ontario Health Team is connecting care

By
Kristie Jones
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0

By Melissa Londono

As the Eastern York Region North Durham (EYRND) Ontario Health Team (OHT) wraps up its second year since the Ministry of Health officially announced its establishment, collectively, it has been able to provide the community, Markham, Stouffville, Uxbridge and beyond, with an integrated system of care.

“Over the past two years, the pandemic has challenged us in ways we never imagined,” says Dr. Cristina Popa, Co-Chair, Core Leadership Council, EYRND OHT. “However, we continued delivering on our strategic priorities and bridging recovery through innovation to enhance the experience of individuals, caregivers, primary care providers, worked to improve population health, health equity and implemented integrated care delivery models.”

The EYRND OHT is a partnership of a number of health and non-health partner organizations that share a rich history of collaboration and an exciting vision for the future of health care in our communities.  The EYRND OHT includes:

  • 360 Kids
  • Addiction Services Central Ontario
  • Canadian Mental Health Association York and South Simcoe
  • Care First
  • CHATS Community & Home Assistance to Seniors
  • East Markham Family Health Organization
  • Entité 4
  • Health for All
  • Krasman centre
  • Markham Family Health Organization
  • New Unionville Home Society
  • SE Health
  • SRT MedStaff
  • York Region
  • York Support Services Network
  • Oak Valley Health

“This past year through community partnerships, and a perseverance to improve the lives of people and families in our communities, we rose to the challenge and are forging the road ahead,” says Dr. Popa. The following are a few of the many EYRND OHT current initiatives that are paving the way:

COVID-19 Response

In partnership with 12 community organizations, EYRND OHT supported the largest mass vaccination centre in York Region the COVID-19 Community Vaccination Centre at the Cornell Community Centre. In over 56 weeks, over 270,000 shots were given with an average of 600 shots per day, up to a max of 2,752 per day including the pop-up vaccination clinics.

Volunteers, staff, community partners and health care providers in the community came together quickly. The centre was paired with outreach efforts to ensure vulnerable residents in congregate settings (long-term care, retirement homes, and group homes) were supported and protected. Pop-up swabbing clinics and vaccination clinics were set up in high-priority communities to improve access and increase uptake. A key element that set the vaccination centre apart was that it was one of the few centres in the GTA that provided additional monitoring in the Emergency Department for people with special needs such as severe allergies.

The COVID-19 Assessment Centre, supported by the EYRND OHT, has also helped the health care system over the last two years successfully in many regards, and as the pandemic is changing so are the COVID-19 related services. In partnership with Oak Valley Health, the COVID-19, Cold, and Flu Care Clinic (CCFCC) opened to address underserved and hard-to-reach populations, find solutions for high volumes of patients without a primary care provider, provide access to primary care assessments, and divert Emergency Department visits.

SCOPE – Navigation and Care integration

Connecting primary care providers to hospital-based resources and specialty services (e.g., General Internal Medicine, mental health, diagnostic imaging, wound care, Medical Day Unit, etc.) through a nurse navigator based at Oak Valley Health, SCOPE aims to improve value and efficiency through reducing visits to the Emergency Department. In partnership with Oak Valley Health and Women’s College, the goal is to improve patient’s access to care, reduce admissions for investigation, improved primary care provider and patient experience, time and human resource efficiencies and effort, and improve service wait times.

Since launching in April 2022, SCOPE has on-boarded 100 physicians and the number is growing. Additionally, primary care providers’ access to SCOPE increased by 66 per cent in the sixth month of operation. This means equitable and timelier access to specialty care while primary care providers remain in control of patient care.

Streamlined Access Primary Care Pathway

Streamlined Access is York Region and South Simcoe’s advanced, localized solution to coordinated access to Mental Health and Addiction services. Streamlined Access provides access and navigation to 26 individualized community-based programs which can be categorized into three “baskets of services”: Mental Health Case Management, Mental Health Supportive Housing and Assertive Community Treatment Teams.

The goals of this initiative includes improved provider experience by reducing the burden on primary care providers (PCP) through establishing a single, integrated and coordinated point of access for community-based mental health and addictions referrals; improved patient experience by providing advocacy and follow up on behalf of patients and family caregivers during the referral process.

Together, the EYRND OHT is working to redesign care for residents of its communities in Markham, Stouffville, Thornhill, and Uxbridge as well as for clients and families who use services in the communities but live elsewhere. For more information about the EYRND OHT, visit our website EYRND.ca

Melissa Londono is a Senior Communications Specialist at Oak Valley Health.