The Town of Amherstburg is making progress in its efforts to cut down on physician waitlists, town council heard Monday night.
The Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team (WEOHT), Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), and Amherstburg Family Health Team made a presentation at the request of council.
Joyce Zuk, Executive Director of the WEOHT, said currently about 7.9 per cent of Amherstburg residents don’t have a primary-care provider, well below the provincial average.
"When we look at other municipalities in Essex County, the rate of attachment in Amherstburg is actually leading the pack," she said.
Data shows that most people wait about two weeks to be matched with a practitioner.
Amherstburg currently has 15 primary-care providers across its clinics.
Multiple members of council asked about how the municipality can contribute to physician recruitment efforts.
"We need to continue to invest and having wonderful communities that physicians and nurse practitioners want to live and practice in," said Zuk.
"I continue to give the Town of Amherstburg very high marks. They currently have two family health organizations, which is a good number."
The WEOHT is submitting an application for provincial primary care expansion funding which would aid Amherstburg, Harrow and Lakeshore.
Zuk said similar funding was approved in Leamington last year.
"It’s not in terms of dollars as much as it is in terms of the number of patients that we’re looking to actually attach, meaning we’re going to reduce the number of individuals in Essex County that are not attached to a primary care provider," Zuk said.
Zuk said a decision is expected this spring.
The Ford Government wants to see all Ontarians attached to a primary care provider by 2029.
-With files from CTV Windsor's Robert Lothian