City secures two MDs to work in Chelmsford medical facility

The last of the four FHTs planned for Sudbury, the Chelmsford site has struggled to get off the ground. Existing ones are open in Walden, Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury and in Valley Caron.

The family health team use a team-based approach, with family doctors working alongside other types of health professionals such as nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and dietitians Patients are assigned to their own physician, but also have access to the team of health professionals surrounding them.

The city has set aside $650,000 for the project, which represents half the estimated cost of renovating the former town hall where the facility will be located. At Tuesday's meeting, Dave Courtemanche, executive director of the City of Lakes Family Health Team, said two doctors who are graduating this year from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine have agreed to be part of the Chelmsford FHT.

“They would serve about 5,000 orphan patients,” he said, bringing the total number of Sudburians who get care at the facilities to 24,000.

So, he said, there's “some urgency” to getting provincial funds in place before the opportunity slips away. That part of the city needs 11 full-time physicians to meet the needs of its population, he said, but right now they just have four.

“It's important to understand that we're in competition with a lot of cities who are doing the same thing,” Courtemanche said. “If we don't get moving on this this year, we face losing them to another community.
“Getting your support on this resolution and sending off to the ministry right away will be really important.”

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas and Roger Strasser, dean of the medical school, are among local officials who have already written letters to the Ministry of Health in support of the Chelmsford facility, he said.

Not only will the fourth FHT improve the health of residents and ease pressure on the hospital, Courtemanche said it will be good for the economy.

“This is an opportunity to bring more health care dollars into our community,” he said.

Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac, who, along with former Ward 3 Coun. Claude Berthiaume has worked on the project for several years, said support from her fellow councillors would help move the project along.

“I encourage you to support this motion,” Dutrisac said. “It's extremely important.”

In response to a question from Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, Courtemanche said it took 18 months to the Walden family health team off the ground after the city received the green light from the province, so there's a sense of urgency.

While the Chelmsford site could open much sooner than that, he said getting the first approval from the province is key. Although there are several more required as the process moves along.

“And all those steps require ministry approval,” he said. “But that first approval is critical.”

It was Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier who suggested hand-delivering the motion to the premier this week.

“My understanding that Premier Wynne is going to be in town on Thursday,” Cormier quipped.

Ward 5 Coun. Rene Lapierre, who is a paramedic, said having so many people without primary care means more people end up in clinics and the hospital, creating a snowball effect that aggravates overcrowding at the hospital.

“It's a big snowball effect,” Lapierre said. But with the FHT in place, “that snowball won't get as big as fast.

“So maybe someone can hand-deliver it to the premier on Thursday.”