The temporary location for the new Health Home will be at 791 Princess Street. Photo via Google Maps.
A new Health Home is almost up and running, and will provide team-based primary care close to home for more than 8,000 people, according to a release from Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC).
The health care facility, the Midtown Kingston Health Home, is a partnership between KCHC and the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team (FLA-OHT), with funding from Ontario Health, created in close collaboration with community partners.
According to the release, the new Health Home will provide comprehensive, ongoing primary care for the surrounding neighbourhoods, while also serving as an important community access point for delivering population health services for the broader community, including cancer screenings, prenatal care, well-baby care, and sexual health services. Additionally, it will connect people to health education, social programs, and community social service supports.
“We are building an excellent team of health care professionals that share a common vision around the importance of increasing access to comprehensive, team-based primary care,” said Josée Conway, Manager of Primary Care for the Midtown Kingston Health Home, KCHC.
“Once we received funding, we moved swiftly from planning stages to opening our doors to serving the community, because we know the need is so great”
KHCH said the new Health Home has a one-year lease at 791 Princess Street while the organization finalizes a multi-year lease agreement and retrofits a permanent location. According to the release, clinical service delivery will begin at the end of July 2024.
Currently, the team consists of Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, Medical Secretaries, and Registered Practical Nurses. According to the release, in the future, the 30-person team will include regulated health professionals, such as a Certified Diabetes Educator, Registered Nurse, and Social Work/Mental Health Counselors. In early 2025, students, nurse practitioners, and medical residents from Queen’s University will also begin supporting patient care at the Health Home as part of their interprofessional educational experiences, the organization explained.
Members of the Midtown Kingston Health Home team. Photo via KHSC website.
“We have a lot to be proud of today. We are thrilled to be opening a new primary care clinic in Kingston, providing more access to care, which is so desperately needed in our community. Everyone deserves to be connected to a primary care team close to home, and we’re now one step further in making this vision a reality in the Kingston region,” said Meghan O’Leary, Director of Clinical Services with KCHC.
“This new Health Home is a great example of partnership in action, with FLA-OHT health care partners working collaboratively to implement an integrated primary health care model designed to have a significant impact on the health of our community.”
Services that will be available in summer 2024 are for people without a primary care provider, and will include medical care for concerning health issues, sexual health care, prenatal and well baby care. According to KCHC, people will be able to book appointments online.
As KCHC hires more team members, the new Health Home will reportedly roster people using Health Care Connect and their place of residence, starting with neighbourhoods closest to the clinic with a K7M or K7L postal code. In the meantime, KHCH said the clinic will be providing team-based care for people without a primary care provider.
“We are so proud and excited to be bringing new primary care resources to Kingstonians as we continue to strive to ensure everyone has access to team-based primary care- a cornerstone of building a community that is inclusive, resilient and healthy,” O’Leary stated.
Those without a primary care provider are encouraged to register through Health Care Connect by phone at 1-800-445-1822 or online. Visit KCHC’s Midtown Kingston Health Home website for more information or to book an appointment.
