PO Box 83 1111 Elgin Street West Cobourg, Ontario K9A 5H7 Phone: 289-252-2139 Fax: 289-252-2243 THIS NEWS RELEASE IS SENT ON BEHALF OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND FAMILY HEALTH TEAM The Northumberland Family Health Team announces funding approval to hire a full-time Physiotherapist FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Yontz, Executive Director, Northumberland Family Health Team, at [email protected] COBOURG, Monday December 22, 2014 - The Northumberland Family Health Team (NFHT) is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) has recently approved funding to hire a full time physiotherapist. The province is providing $96,854 in base funding and up to $12,600 in one-time funding for the 2014-15 fiscal year to support the implementation of physiotherapy services at the NFHT. This funding is based on the 2013 physiotherapy funding reform by the MOHLTC which now allows for the inclusion of physiotherapists within Family Health Teams. One of the goals of the reform was to provide Ontarians with access to physiotherapy services sooner and closer to home. The funding was awarded to the NFHT based on a successful application submission that identified the needs of the NFHT patients to have increased access to physiotherapist services. “The funding approval by the MOHLTC is a tremendous achievement. This is the first time that physiotherapy services will be funded within Family Health Teams (FHT) in Ontario and the NFHT was one of only thirteen FHTs to receive this approval. We want to thank the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care for providing the funding for us to add a physiotherapist to our inter-disciplinary health care team,” stated Laura Yontz, Executive Director, Northumberland Family Health Team. Physiotherapists’ unique contribution to health care stems from advanced understanding of how the body moves, what keeps it from moving well, and how to restore mobility. Integrating a physiotherapist into the Northumberland Family Health Team (NFHT) will strengthen the provision of primary health care to the 26,000 patients of the NFHT. The NFHT is a primary health care organization which is comprised of twenty-one family physicians and fourteen integrated health professionals that offer a range of programs and services at no cost to the patients. The physiotherapist will provide clinical assessment and treatment of the patients and will collaborate with the other integrated health professionals to provide services across the continuum of care for chronic disease management, health promotion and disease prevention. “As a team we have been looking forward to integrating physiotherapy services into our existing programs along with developing new programs to help our patients remain healthy and active or regain that ability,” stated Dr. Mark Essak, Chair, Northumberland Family Health Team. The NFHT is currently undergoing a recruitment process to hire the new physiotherapist and is hopeful that the successful candidate will join the team in late February. …./2 -2- About the Northumberland Family Health Team. Established in 2011, The NFHT is a doctor led not for profit corporation comprised of twenty-one family doctors and fourteen health care professionals supported by an Executive Director and administrative staff. The Family Health Team is committed to working together collaboratively to provide sustainable, comprehensive, accessible and coordinated family health care to their enrolled patients. As a collaborative team practice, Family Health Teams emphasize health promotion, disease prevention and improved management of chronic disease as well as supporting their patients in improving self-management skills. For further information about the Northumberland Family Health Team please go to www.nfht.ca.