Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team Submits Full Application
SARNIA & PETROLIA – September 18, 2020 – The Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team planning group is pleased to announce that their 35+ member group has submitted the full application to become an Ontario Health Team (OHT).
“Our team has a successful track record of community partnership and working together to find creative solutions that work here in Sarnia-Lambton: from how we mobilized as a community over COVID; to the Mobile Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (MHEART); to the innovative addiction services programs we’ve embarked on,” commented Mike Lapaine, President & CEO, Bluewater Health and Sarnia-Lambton OHT application steering committee chair. “Building on this history, we’ve developed a plan that will re-envision our local health system for the better, with a year-one focus on transforming care for seniors and advancing transitional age youth mental health and addiction services.”
Following the submission of the self-assessment in November 2019, the group continued to build momentum by meeting regularly to plan for the eventual submission of this full application. The working model of this OHT has been developed using a co-design process that brought stakeholders together to create a set of solutions that would benefit patients, families, care partners and our providers. This strengthened the group’s resolve to become an OHT and continued the efforts to work together to better meet the needs of the residents the partners collectively serve. The local experience during the pandemic further solidified a commitment to collaborative work across sectors.
The proposed health team will work to remove silos and deliver more integrated healthcare across the community. More than 35 health and social services organizations serving Sarnia-Lambton, along with patients, families and caregivers with lived experience are actively engaged in the creation of the proposed OHT and will continue to be foundational members. One hundred per cent of the partners (representing 85+ individuals) who initially indicated their interest to participate, agreed and signed on to become members of the OHT.
The full application is available at www.bluewaterhealth.ca/sarnia-lambton-ontario-health-team.
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Media Contact:
Julia Oosterman
Chief, Communications & Public Affairs
Bluewater Health
519-328-3136