With the local population growing, Bradford West Gwillimbury will eventually need a second Southlake Academic Family Health Team facility, Dr. Susan Kuzmyk told BWG council this week.
“That’s going to be something that’s going to have to happen. This town is growing. We’re going to need another one of these,” said Kuzmyk, who is a physician at the facility. “If we could clone ourselves and plop ourselves somewhere in town, we would be full.”
The ideal, she added, is for the town not to have any walk-in clinics, rather have enough family doctors to offer consistent care by physicians who know their patients’ medical histories.
Kuzmyk, along with J.C. Kirk, executive director of the health team, updated council at a meeting Tuesday evening about the organization’s plans and achievements.
The health team is one of the hosts of a community open forum about the future of health care in South Simcoe and York Region on June 11, from 7-9 p.m., in the Zima Room of the BWG Public Library. All residents are welcome to attend and provide input.
“This is an opportunity with the Ontario Health Team formation. I do encourage people to come out,” said Mayor Rob Keffer.
“Hopefully there’s an opportunity to bring health care closer to our community (instead of residents having to travel to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket or hospitals in downtown Toronto).”
The health team opened its doors in BWG in 2014, and it now has about 7,000 patients, six doctors, two onsite nurses, nurse practitioner, social worker, pharmacist, and dietitian.
The facility’s emergency department visits are 32 per cent below the provincial average, and its hospital readmission rate is 18 per cent below the provincial average, according to the health team.
That puts the BWG health team in the Top 5 for low readmission rates of 187 family health teams in the province, Kirk said.
“In the last five years, things have gone very, very well,” Kuzmyk said. “I really feel Bradford has benefited greatly.”
COMMUNITY OPEN FORUMS
BWG:
June 11, 7-9 p.m., Zima Room of the BWG Public Library, 425 Holland St. W.
SHARON:
June 17, 7-9 p.m., East Gwillimbury Sports Complex, 1914B Mount Albert Rd., Sharon,
AURORA:
June 24, 7-9 p.m., Town of Aurora council chambers, 100 John West Way, Aurora
NEWMARKET:
June 25, 7-9 p.m., Newmarket Community Centre, 200 Doug Duncan Dr.
