This has been a good week for new health services in York.
Two new family health teams and a new nurse practitioner-led clinic have been announced for York South-Weston.The health teams will be at Humber River Regional Hospital and at West Park Healthcare Centre, which provides specialized rehabilitation, complex continuing care and long-term care at its facility near Jane Street and Weston Road.Meanwhile, pending provincial approval, the nurse practitioner clinic will be at St. Clair West Services for Seniors at 2562 Eglinton Ave., east of Keele Street.Family health teams are made up of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, dieticians and other health care providers working together to provide care to patients in a "one-stop shopping" setting. They take pressure off hospital emergency rooms by treating patients who need non-emergency care.The two local teams also ensure more people in York South-Weston who up until now did not have a family doctor will be able to get care from physicians and other health care providers, York South-Weston MPP Laura Albanese said."This is excellent news," she said."The family health teams at Humber River Regional Hospital and West Park Healthcare Centre will provide greater access to quality health care and family doctors for the community of York South-Weston."Ontario has 170 family health teams providing care to more than 2.3 million residents, including more than 393,000 patients who previously had no family doctor.The two teams in York are part of 30 new teams announced across Ontario. "What makes these family health teams so valuable is that each one is developed with the needs of the community in mind," Health Minister Deb Matthews said in a statement."These additional 30 teams will provide even greater access to quality health care for people in the community."â?¨Meanwhile, the nurse practitioner-led clinic will also improve health care in the community, said Albanese, adding the province was keen to approve the clinic in the high-needs neighbourhood.With more training than a nurse, a nurse-practitioner can treat common illnesses and order tests such as lab work, X-rays and other diagnostic exams. They work with doctors, nurses and other health care providers.The clinic at St. Clair West Services for Seniors will focus on providing comprehensive care services such as managing chronic conditions, preventing diseases and health promotion. It is one of 14 such clinic across the province announced this week by the province."Nurse practitioner-led clinics are becoming an integral part of health care in Ontario," Matthews said."This investment means more access to quality health care closer to home for Ontarians."