The Formation of the Tay River & Sharbot Lake Family Health Team

Submitted by Deborah Krauss, Executive Director - SL Family Health Team | May 03, 2023

Physicians at Tay River Health Centre and Sharbot Lake have been working with the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team over the past several months on how to strengthen the delivery of primary care for our communities with a focus on those residents without a primary care provider and for those who are vulnerable and marginalized. The goals of working together would be to help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional care while supporting patients to connect to care where and when they need it.

Currently, Tay River Health Centre has over 5000 people on their wait list without a primary care provider (MD or NP) and the list grows everyday. We have learned that when family physicians work in a team-based model alongside other family physicians, nurses, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and other health care professionals to deliver programs and services, patients get better continuity of care and more access to after-hours care.

The Proposal 

To help address some of these gap areas, the Tay River Health Centre and the Sharbot Lake Physicians have engaged in a voluntary merger of their physician teams. Discussions are also underway with the Ministry of Health for an expansion of Sharbot Lake Family Health Team services to the Tay River Health Centre. This proposal has received widespread support from both physician groups, our communities’ political groups, and multiple health care agencies across the region.

What Does this Family Health Team Expansion Mean?

If approved by the Ministry of Health, the expansion will create a larger Family Health Team with improved resources which will be able to offer increased accessibility to programs and services for existing patients and for patients who are currently without a primary care provider. Patients will be able to access select programming at each site which will open doors to not only an increased variety of programs but also to more flexible program scheduling. In addition, the team will be able to leverage efficiencies to create additional healthcare opportunities that will assist patients in important areas such as mental health and palliative care supports, continuity of care from the hospital to home, after hours and specialty care. Finally, the new Tay River and Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, through involvement and engagement with the local community and area health care agencies will be more responsive to the local needs. 

The physical locations of the teams will not change nor will access to your primary health care provider change as a result of the physician merger and family health team expansion. Over time we hope that by working together, we will be able to improve access to more programs and services for our shared communities. 

Town Hall Question and Answer Sessions for the Public

Community information events are planned for May 10th at 6pm at OSO Hall 1107 Garrett St, Sharbot Lake and May 17th at 6pm at the Tay River Health Centre in Perth.