A Letter from the
Executive Director
How our Family Health Team Supports Your Health
Dear Patient:
What is a Family Health Team?
Funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Family Health Teams are a newer approach to provincial health care and are designed to provide better access to family health care. Over 200 Family Health Teams have been established in Ontario over the past eleven years.
A Family Health Team is a team-based approach to primary care with family physicians and other healthcare professionals working together to provide comprehensive, accessible, and coordinated family healthcare services to you – the patient.
Northumberland Family Health Team (NFHT)
The Northumberland Family Health Team consists of 20 family doctors who will work with a support and management team and 17 other healthcare professionals. These include Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Dietitians, Social Workers, an Occupational Therapist, Chiropodist, Pharmacist, a Physiotherapist, and a Footcare Nurse.
NFHT’s emphasis is on health promotion and improved management of chronic disease through treatment and monitoring as well as supporting patients in improving self-management skills. We offer a number of workshops that patients can sign up for without a referral.
NFHT currently has twelve programs: Seniors Wellness, Healthy Lung, Healthy Heart, Healthy Living, Adult Mental Health, Smoking Cessation, Home Based Transition Care, Physiotherapy, Diabetes, Footcare, Pharmacy, and Chronic Pain. We also offer Acute and Episodic Care Services. In each program, healthcare professionals with special training, skills, and experience working with family doctors to provide care to patients.
What does the Northumberland Family Health Team mean to YOU – the patient?
As a patient, you have access to many new no-cost services and programs to help you meet your healthcare goals. You will continue to see your family doctor on a regular basis, however, other members of the NFHT may assist your physician in providing primary healthcare services.
Example: You may have an appointment with your family doctor where you discuss your desire to quit smoking. Your family doctor may then refer you to the NFHT “Smoking Cessation Program” where you will meet with one of the healthcare professionals at the NFHT main office. The healthcare professional will then communicate all pertinent health information back to your family doctor.
Referral Process and Location of Services and Programs
You will visit your family doctor at their current office location.
If you are referred by your doctor to see one of the health care professionals your doctor will send a referral to the NFHT main office. The Administrative staff at the NFHT main office will contact you to schedule an appointment.
Most healthcare professional visits will occur at the NFHT main office on the lower level of the Northumberland Mall.
More Information
Our website is a good source of up-to-date information about the programs and workshops offered by NFHT. Please visit it regularly. We can also be reached by phone at 289.252.2139.
A Northumberland Family Health Team Information Bulletin Board will be located within your family doctor’s office. Please refer to the information board and to the website for NFHT news items and updates.
To learn More About Family Health Teams click here.
We look forward to providing you with the best possible care.
Yours truly,
Laurel Savoy
Executive Director,
Northumberland Family Health Team