Today I introduced a Notice of Motion at City Council about bringing a Primary Care Health Hub to Kanata-Stittsville.
I hear all the time from residents who are having trouble accessing a doctor or nurse practitioner. A 2023 report from Ottawa Public Health estimated that over 150,000 people in Ottawa cannot access primary care, and this access gap disproportionately affects new Canadians, Indigenous communities, and other vulnerable groups.
Premier Doug Ford recently appointed Dr. Jane Philpott to lead an action team with a mandate to ensure that every person in Ontario has a primary care provider in the next five years. With more than 2.5-million Ontarians without a family doctor, that’s an ambitious goal.
Dr. Philpott published a book earlier this year called Health for All, where she outlines a vision for what healthcare could look like in Canada: “…primary care in Canada should function like public schools. Access to public school is one of the most universal social services standards that Canadians can count on. No one is left out,” she writes. “If we can design and implement universal access to public education, we can do the same for primary care. This should be our rallying cry.”
A local group of doctors has submitted an application to the Ministry of Health for provincial funding to establish a Family Health Team (FHT) in Kanata-Stittsville. Similar projects in other municipalities have been successful in attracting physicians, registered nurses, and other health care professionals, allowing them to quickly scale up primary care access in their communities.
The project in Kanata-Stittsville would provide multi-disciplinary care to nearly 50,000 residents in the west end and across Ottawa.
I’d like to use part of a large piece of municipal land located at 1655 Maple Grove Road in Stittsville to house a health hub that would be home to this FHT. There are a number of steps required to determine if the land is suitable for the building, and to work through the finances and legalities of making the land available for community medical use.
My motion would start that review process, with a report coming back to committee and council in the next few months. It’s an important formal step towards establishing better access to primary care in our community. I’ve had strong support and collaboration from Mayor Sutcliffe and my council colleagues Cathy Curry (Kanata North) and Allan Hubley (Kanata South).
City Council will vote on the motion on December 11.
More to come…
Notice of Motion
Re: Kanata-Stittsville Family Health Team / Health Hub
Moved by / Motion de: Councillor Gower
Seconded by / Appuyée par: Mayor Sutcliffe
WHEREAS according to the 2023 State of Ottawa’s Health Report from Ottawa Public Health, it is estimated that at least 14% of Ottawa residents – or over 150,000 individuals – lack access to primary care; and
WHEREAS this severe access gap disproportionately affects new Canadians, Indigenous communities, and other vulnerable groups; and
WHEREAS a local group of doctors has submitted an application to the Ministry of Health for provincial operating funding to establish a Family Health Team in Kanata-Stittsville; and
WHEREAS the application for provincial funding would be strengthened by securing municipal land for construction of a Health Hub facility that would host the FHT; and
WHEREAS similar health hubs supported by neighbouring municipalities have demonstrated the ability to attract physicians, registered nurses, and other health care professionals, allowing them to quickly scale up primary care access to their communities; and
WHEREAS this FHT would deliver comprehensive, multi-disciplinary care to nearly 50,000 residents across Ottawa in partnership with local physicians, as well as provide access to a range of healthcare professionals, such as nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, pharmacists, system navigators and mental health workers;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT staff be directed to enter into discussions with the Kanata-Stittsville Family Health Team proponents to examine how a portion of the municipal land at 1655 Maple Grove Road could be made available for health care use, including:
– Land use requirements;
– Applicable laws, regulations and policies, including the City of Ottawa’s Disposal of Real Property Policy and any restrictions under the Municipal Act including Section 106 related to Municipal Bonusing;
– Municipal health services and social services that may benefit from being co-located within the Health Hub; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff report to Finance and Corporate Services Committee no later than Q2 2025 with findings and any recommendations, and;