North Hastings Familiy Health Team (FHT)

PROGRESS TO DATE

Health Services in the North Hastings area have been considerably expanded through the activities at the Manor Lane facility, opposite the Hospital.

Staff: At present, the staff includes one full time (FT) Family Physician, Dr. Ravenscroft, and one part time (PT) Physician, Dr. McEnery, who also is acting in an advisory capacity to the team. There is one FT Nurse Practitioner, Jane Boudebab, one FT RN, one PT Dietician and one PT Social Worker, one FT Administrator, and secretarial and reception staff. In addition the team is partnering with the local branch of Loyalist College to have an RPN student finish her practical component with the FHT, and a high school co-op student (until June) working with the RN to learn the educational aspects of nursing.

Health Promotion Programs:
1) Women’s Emotional Wellness group started on Feb 20/07 with 8 women in the initial group. With special speakers the program will run for 6 weeks under the direction of the Crisis Intervention worker.
2) The RN spoke to a women’s group at Cloud 9 during the first week of March, taking the co-op student with her to introduce her to this component of nursing.
3) A survey is ready to be distributed to students at the senior elementary school, with principal and parent council endorsement, to evaluate the health needs of 13-15 year olds. Currently, no similar program is offered through the Public Health system: the school has welcomed this program, and may use this as a basis to develop information to add to their health courses.
4) The Dietician has been promoting nutrition and healthy eating to various community groups. The ‘Take 5’ promotion was successfully launched at a recent Bancroft Hawks hockey game, with the RN dressed in an enticing broccoli costume! The dietician is also doing ‘super shopping’ tours in grocery stores to teach healthy shopping selections.
5) A public ‘Flu’ clinic was held last fall.

Special Services at the FHT:
1) The Crisis Intervention Centre comes from Belleville 4-5 times per month, seeing about 25 patients each month.
2) A visiting Psychiatrist comes twice a month, seeing about 40 patients each month.
3) Cardiologists Dr. Hughes and Dr. Jurt from Peterborough operate a Vascular Network Clinic on a bi-weekly basis. With referrals from local Doctors, the Vascular Network offers testing/monitoring services to local patients, saving them a trip out of town to obtain such needed procedures.
4) A joint project with Bancroft FHT has resulted in funds being raised from the community, to purchase a ($10,000) defibrillator, necessary to the operation of the Vascular Network. On Feb 22 Dr. Hughes saw 105 patients, plus conducting 10 Echocardiograms.
5) Monthly, starting on April 13th, Dr. Graham Gibb, surgeon specializing in colo-rectal screening is booked to see patients. Also in April Dr. Ken Malhotra, gastroenterologist, is scheduled to see local patients who have been referred.

Numbers of Patients Seen: (not including patients seen by specialists)
The family Physician sees approximately 85 patients weekly; the NP 75 patients weekly; the PT Dietician sees about 20 patients weekly; the PT Social Worker sees 6 patients weekly. Wait times to see the Dietician or Social Worker are now one month, so it is planned to expand their positions to full time in the near future.

The FHT continues to welcome patients without a family doctor. The patient roster now exceeds 600.

In an attempt to ease the volume in the QHC North Hospital (Bancroft) ER, the FHT currently operates a walk-in clinic most days from 3 to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary, but it is advisable to call ahead to make sure the walk-in clinic is operating that day. This time slot is reserved for registered North Hastings FHT patients only—with problems requiring immediate care. Chronic, ongoing problems and medication refills still require booked appointments.

The FHT is currently preparing a second year budget, to be effective April 1, which will be submitted to the Ministry Of Health and Long Term Care. Application will be made to add another family Doctor, another Nurse Practitioner, and an increase in hours for several of the part time positions.

This FHT project was originally sponsored by seven of the North Hastings municipal governments, with initial funding provided by them, along with donations from the public. The County of Hastings also worked with the Board to prepare and finance the modern facility which the team occupies. Through the last several years, volunteers from the community have donated countless hours to ensure that healthcare in the community is enhanced. Special thanks also is extended for the invaluable work of Dr. Peter McEnery, without whose assistance the FHT would not exist in its present form.

To reach the FHT, phone reception at (613) 332-5692 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays and most Saturday mornings.