Dresden Community Healthcare Foundation, Steering Committee Members, Ron Sturgis, Paul Weese and Joe Faas unveil the architectural drawings of a new Health Care Medical Centre to be built in the heart of Dresden's downtown area. A meeting to present plans and answer questions was held Wednesday, January 4th at the Trinity Christian Centre to a standing room only crowd of nearly 200 highly interested and motivated Dresden area citizens.
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January 1, 2012
Dresden has always been fortunate to have a dedicated group of Family Doctors.
We, the current doctors are not getting younger and recruitment for replacements has been very competitive.
New graduates want group practices, colleagues and support staff, shared
expenses and an electronic health record. They want the flexibility to spend time
on specific areas of interest. They want the ability to go to conferences and spend time with their families. They are interested
in
teaching and an academic
association. They want to practice, not manage a practice.
New graduates are looking for a well-equipped, welcoming new environment and
a group which has a good record of managing and recruiting.
Ridgetown is an example of a dedicated group of citizens joining with the
Chatham Kent Family Health Team to build a medical office building. After years
of having no recruits it now has its full complement of doctors.
The Dresden Community Healthcare Steering Committee is a solid group of well known and trusted local people who have spent two years working on this plan.
Similarly, the board and staff of the Chatham Kent Family Health Team have a
proven record of management and recruitment. The main site is in Chatham, with
satellites in Wallaceburg, Ridgetown and now Dresden. Dr. Ng and I joined the
Chatham Kent Family Health Team almost 2 years ago. We have computerized our patient records and have been working toward the new building.
Since amalgamation there has been a loss of identity for smaller communities.
Centralization of healthcare will continue unless efforts are made to promote this
group practice building.
The Chatham Kent Family Health Team will provide increased availability of
Counselling, Diabetes Care, Chiropodist, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Massage
Therapist and Nurse Practitioners.
Ongoing payments for the operation of the building and staffing will be made by
the practicing physicians combined with some Ministry of Health and long Term
Care funding for the allied health professionals. The goal would be to have the
equivalent of four full-time Family Physicians along with medical students and
residents.
This will produce the best economic situation and with students and residents a
base for future physicians to come. As an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine
for the University of Western Ontario I have had one medical student and one
first-year family medicine resident spend time in my practice this past year.
Another is coming in 2012. A number of local students in medical school or family
medicine residencies have expressed an interest in coming home to practice. Family Health Teams are the practice style preferred by new graduates. They are
also the preferred model of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. This is
important for future funding and innovation.
This is a great opportunity to promote the future health care needs of Dresden by
supporting the Dresden Community Healthcare Foundation. I look forward to
moving into the new building.
Sincerely,
John C. Payne M.D.
DCHF, steering committee members, Joe Faas and Paul Weese are pictured with Laura Johnson, Executive Director of Chatham Kent Health Team. Johnson was one of the key note speakers at last nights event. For more information about the Chatham Kent Health Team please go to
www.ckfht.ca
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Welcome to the Chatham-Kent
Family Health Team New Website.
www.ckfht.ca
Our goal at the CKFHT is to provide the very best health care which is patient-centred and responsive to local community needs. Primary Health Care is the “navigator” of the health care system. It provides clinical services as close to home as possible, it provides system access, and it provides continuity of care. The Chatham-Kent Family Health Teams is improving access to primary health care through interdisciplinary health teams including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse educators, dietitian services, social work to name a few. These teams have been developed with cooperation and input from both the community and the providers. The teams will build on the successes of the past but may be different sizes and offer different programs, tailored to meet the needs of the local population they serve.
The focus of the CKFHT is to maximize access to primary health care services for peopled of all ages with a focus on disease management and prevention and health promotion using state-of-the-art electronic technologies.