New Algoma health team 'starting to gel,' says SAH president

A team of Sault and Algoma District healthcare agencies is enthused about what it describes as ‘positive feedback’ from Ontario’s Ministry of Health regarding its application to form a new Algoma Ontario Health Team (OHT).

The Algoma OHT is one of 31 such groups provincewide invited by the Ministry to submit a full application for an OHT approval.

The purpose of an OHT is to build a more connected healthcare system that fills in the gaps for patients, one of its aims to help patients stay healthy and in their own homes.

“We’re starting to gel as a team,” said Wendy Hansson, Sault Area Hospital (SAH) president and CEO, speaking to the SAH board of directors at their regular monthly meeting Monday.

Hansson, along with Gord Childs and Dr. David Fera, serves as a Tri-Chair Algoma OHT. 

Reaction from the Ministry “was really positive,” the application being described as "an advanced application," said Hansson, speaking to SooToday.

To achieve full Ministry approval of the Algoma OHT’s application, Hansson said the Ministry asked for more information as to how the team’s various agencies will share resources, manage conflict should it arise, and more detail on how the team’s year one implementation plan will benefit patients and communities.

Hansson said she will be in further discussions with the Ministry Tuesday.

“We’ve been left to understand it’s not going to be this dragged out process that’s going to take months and months. It’s not like resubmitting the full application process. The original application process was very rigorous and thorough...but this will not be as intensive. This is just additional information to augment the original proposal,” Hansson said, anticipating the full application will be approved by the Ministry in “the near future.”

The Algoma OHT’s focus in year one will be on helping frail seniors and others with health conditions who are arriving at the emergency department who could be better served elsewhere, then, as time goes by, focusing on people experiencing mental health and addictions issues and partnering to support rural health.

“The feedback from the Ministry was that the timeline is up to us, it’s the pace we’d like to set…(but) there’s so much momentum and energy behind this that the group collectively wants to push hard and resubmit before the end of the calendar year. We’ll be pushing hard all week and regrouping on Friday...our intent is to get the application in before the end of the calendar year,” Hansson said.

Geographically, the Algoma OHT area would stretch from Wawa to Blind River.

Healthcare agencies included in the Algoma OHT include Algoma District Medical Group, Algoma Family Services, Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Algoma Public Health, Algoma Residential Community Hospice, Alzheimer Society Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District, Autumnwood Group Inc., FJ Davey Home, Group Health Centre, Midwives of Algoma, North Channel Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, North East Local Health Integration Network Home and Community Care, Sault Area Hospital, Sault Family Health Organization and Superior Family Health Team.