Around 5,600 Sarnia-Lambton residents will soon be connected to a primary health care provider, thanks to a $2.88 million investment from the Ontario government.
The province is chipping in $1.86 million toward the Rapids Family Health Team and its partners to support access for over 4,900 new patients under its Primary Care Action Plan.
The announcement was made during a media conference on Thursday, and is said to be a big step toward the province's goal of connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029.
Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team Executive Lead Nadine Neve is extremely happy to see their proposals for funding approved.
"We have over 13,000 unattached individuals in Sarnia-Lambton," said Neve. "Definitely as well we have unattached numbers in the Indigenous communities, so really looking to connect everyone to care."
Other partners include the Central Lambton Family Health Team in Petrolia, North Lambton Community Health Centre, the West Lambton site in East Lambton, and the nurse practitioner-led clinic in Sarnia.
Neve spoke about the importance of getting people connected with primary care providers.
"It really centres around that prevention piece and having that relationship and that openness to be able to talk about your health with someone that knows your health," she said. "So really creating that relationship with either a nurse practitioner or a physician that can really stay on top of things like chronic diseases, understands if you're having changes in your health and you go to them what those changes are, versus kind of some of the episodic care that people have to get now."
Neve was asked why there is such a high demand locally for primary care providers.
"I think there's influx of individuals," said Neve. "We know during COVID a lot of people moved to some smaller communities as well. There's also an increasing need with the aging population, and some physician retirements. We do have a fair number of physicians and nurse practitioners as well that are nearing that retirement age, so really getting some additional resources is going to help that too."
Another $1.01 million is going to the E-nangaabe-jig Health Services organization, which will be able to roster over 760 new patients.
It supports First Nations members at Aamjiwnaang, Kettle and Stony Point, and Walpole Island as well as those living off reserve.
Kettle and Stony Point First Nation Chief Kimberly Bressette said there's certainly a high demand for care.
She said it's critical for them to have culturally appropriate care, and see the blending of western medicine practices with traditional healing.
"We actually have a partnership, an MOU, with North Lambton Community Health Centre, which helps a lot, but there is still some lack in services there," said Bressette. "So this is a really great opportunity to be able to get people the primary healthcare that's needed and also for those that are off reserve, that often don't know where to go or where to start and things like that, so it's a good thing for them."
Bressette said they're working with the other First Nations to develop a site to house a full healthcare team for E-nangaabe-jig Health Services.
"It will be run as a full medical health clinic for our three communities and mostly servicing probably majority off reserve, but it'll be open to everyone and doing work within the communities as well," she said. "They'll be bringing those programs and services to the communities, mobile health teams, things like that. Just building relationships with all the members off and on reserve and meeting the needs, meeting them where they're at."
Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey commented on the funding.
"Our government’s record investments in primary care are already delivering results in Sarnia-Lambton,” said Bailey. "Our goal is to connect everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029. I am extremely proud of the work happening in our community to ensure everyone has access to the care they need, where and when they need it."
The Ontario government said, through the 2026 budget, it's increasing overall funding for the Primary Care Action Plan to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.
The province said one goal for the plan was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31.
As of January 1, about 330,000 people were attached to care in 2025-2026, surpassing the goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.
