$4.5 MILLION ONTARIO FUNDING FOR FAMILY HEALTH TEAMS HIRING AND PATIENT RECRUITMENT — WITH GOAL TO CONNECT 10,447 PEOPLE TO PRIMARY CARE VIA MORE NURSE PRACTICIONERS, MDS, SPECIALISTS

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — Who knew how great an impact nurse practitioners have on treating and keeping everyone healthy and alive.

And it’s about to expand for the number of new salaried NPs and other medical team members — notably as thousands of un-attached and under-attached patients steadily increase.

Riding residents who have primary care — and those woefully lacking — will receive more access to them along with other health care services as local Family Health Teams received millions in provincial funding for their proposals help them survive backlogs in wait times and availability to a strained health care providers system.

Today MPP Graydon Smith announced $4,513,300 in 2026 funding to connect up to 10,447 people to more primary care across Parry Sound-Muskoka.

The money will enable more patients to have access within a year as new hires are made.

And with the belief that “if you build it they will come,” a reference to a larger inter-disciplinary medical team to lure doctors.

People are still encouraged to continue signing up with the Ontario Health Coalition to find the nearest primary medical team through Health Care Connect online, at Ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner or by calling 1-800-445-1822.

Health care providers across the riding received $4.5 million in provincial funding today for front-line care and recruitment mainly of nurse practitioners and other complementary medical care workers and providers as well as to attract doctors with a multi-disciplinary team. PHOTOS Mark Clairmont MuskokaTODAY.com

The new funding is part of a Primary Care Action Plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly-funded family doctor or primary care team, which it says is on track to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.

“Our government is making record investments in health care and taking real action to connect more people in Parry Sound-Muskoka to the care they need,” said Smith at the noon announcement at the Cottage Country Family Health Team office in Gravenhurst.

“This funding will help our family health teams and nurse practitioner-led clinics create more spaces for patients, recruit more doctors and nurse practitioners, and connect more residents to primary care.”

While there is still more work to do, he said “this investment is another important step forward in our plan to ensure everyone in our community can access a family doctor or primary care provider.

“I’m proud to see Parry Sound-Muskoka benefit from our government’s continued commitment to strengthening local health care.”

The four groups receiving funding are:

  • The Cottage Country Family Health Team, which serves south Muskoka, will receive $2,136,800 to help connect 6,090 patients to primary care.
  • The West Parry Sound Health Centre Rural Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (six sites) will receive $1,140,500 to help connect 2,021 patients to primary care across the west Parry Sound region.
  • The Algonquin Family Health Team and North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, which serves north Muskoka, will receive $620,100 to help connect 1,680 patients to primary care.
  • The Wasauksing First Nation Health Department will receive $615,900 to help connect 656 patients to primary care.

The funding is part of an interdisciplinary plan to bring more of a team approach to health care and augment and complement what doctors do.

MPP Graydon Smith turns the floor over to emcee Marsha Barnes during the noon-hour announcement at the Cottage Country Family Health Team medical clinic in Gravenhurst.

An accompanying release says each group will establish and communicate a local process for accepting new patients, supported by a plan to connect a high proportion of unattached residents, including those on the Health Care Connect wait list.

“It’s going to make a big difference,” said Dr. Tina Kappos, of the Bracebridge Medical Arts Centre clinic, which is part of the CCFHT.

“This is going to go in a big way to provide a great future for us as far as recruitment and retention of the current providers we have.”

She said the funding will now allow for two nurse practitioners each at their Gravenhurst and Bracebridge sites, along with one each at the health hub in Wahta to help long-time NP Dana Strength there; and in Port Carling, which is currently without a primary care provider.

As well as hiring a physician assistant, social worker and physiotherapist at the CCFHT.

There are 17 physicians at the CCFHT sites in Bracebridge and Gravenhurst.

In north Muskoka the funding will let them to hire one new NP each at the Algonquin Family Health Team and at the North Muskoka NPLC at it Huntsville Main Street location. Bringing each clinic six NPs each.

With 28 MDs at the Algonquin FHT, those 12 NPs bring their number 40 — in addition to several other medical personnel.

Jane Rolfe is Algonquin’s latest NP hire as of January. She now has 200 patients and hopefully by next year will be seeing 800. She was formerly an NP in Oakville before moving to Huntsville in 2022. It’s taken till now for the Algonquin FHT to find salary funding for her. And will take many months longer to fill out her roster.

NPs — who make about $125,000 year and provide many of the same services as physicians — can often work independently outside medical practices in their own privte clinics. They do not operate under the supervision of a doctor.

Doctors operate on a separate funding model, which can include the number of patients they have on their roster and those they see in a day.

Some of today’s funding will also help recruit all medical team specialists.

But none of this money will go toward physician inducement incentives to lure anyone to Muskoka and Parry Sound as has been typical for doctors.

At the West Parry Sound Health Centre Rural Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic they will now be able to hire another nurse practitioner, dietician, physiotherapist and pharmacist. They have six health hub sites providing widespread care.

And at Wasauksing First Nation they will be adding a second NP to go assist with one who is currently working virtually.

Leanna Lefebvre, an NP and clinic lead at the North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Janine van den Heuvel, executive director and CEO of the Algonquin Family Health Team and Jane Rolf, an NP with the North Muskoka NP clinic were among two dozen welcoming their successful provincial funding proposal announcement. Their combined funding was $620,000.

FHTs, NP clinics ‘thrilled’

“CCFHT is honoured to receive $2.1 million in provincial funding as part of Ontario’s plan to expand primary care teams, enabling us to attach more than 5,000 permanent residents to primary care across Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Muskoka Lakes and Wahta,” said Trish Mintz, executive director of the Cottage Country Family Health Team.

“Standing alongside our partners at West Parry Sound Health Centre, Algonquin Family Health Team, North Muskoka NPLC and the Wasauksing First Nation, this announcement represents a meaningful and much-needed win for the entire region, strengthening access to care for the communities we collectively serve.”

Victoria Langley, chief nursing officer with the West Parry Sound Health Centre, too is “thrilled.”

“This expansion reflects a highly coordinated, region-wide effort. The strength of this proposal was grounded in true co-design across primary care organizations, clinical leadership, and system partners.

“This investment will enable us to attach more patients to a consistent primary care provider and team, improving continuity, access, and long-term health outcomes for our communities. It will also support a seamless, patient-centred primary care system that connects residents of the West Parry Sound region to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

“Our teams will hire additional nurse practitioner to attach patients to primary care, providing access to ongoing service for 1,600 community members in need,” said Leanna Lefebvre, NP Clinic Lead, North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, and Janine van den Heuvel, ED/CEO, Algonquin Family Health Team.

124 Ontario Family Health Teams

The health teams have been funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 Ontario funded teams expected to connect another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario.

Through its 2026 budget, the province is also increasing overall funding for the plan to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.

The province also says it has exceeded its 2025-26 attachment goal under the Primary Care Action Plan, which was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the province had already connected 330,000 people to care in 2025-26, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.

Ontario background notes:

  • Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team includes more than $3.4 billion to connect about two million more people to primary care by 2029.
  • The government is making significant progress on its goal of clearing the Health Care Connect waitlist. As of January 1, 2025, that waitlist had been reduced by more than 87 per cent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.
  • Ontarians looking to find a family doctor or nurse practitioner can register with Health Care Connect or call 811.
  • Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals who work together under one roof, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, physician assistants, physiotherapists, social workers, dietitians, and pharmacists, helping patients receive more connected and convenient care.
  • Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 physicians to its health-care workforce, including more than a 14 per cent increase in family doctors.

    While Friday’s funding was for health care provider operations and not capital costs, the new second floor Gravenhurst Health Hub under construction to open in early fall will ultimately benefit from the CCFHT’s expansion plans.

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