Ontario OKs fully bilingual health team

Newest unit based in city’s east end at Montfort Hospital

Ottawa’s latest provincial health team will be fully bilingual and based in the city’s east end.

Minister of Francophone Affairs Caroline Mulroney formally announced the team at Montfort Hospital on Tuesday, calling it excellent news for the eastern Ottawa region and the francophone community.

Health teams are designed to provide integrated care to patients and follow them through their health care needs, including family health care, hospitalization, home care and more.

The east Ottawa team is one of five the province announced last week, along with dedicated funding for virtual care to provide support for people who are vulnerable and those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The teams have helped simplify the response to the pandemic by streamlining the purchase of personal protective equipment, supporting the staff at long-term care homes and assessment centres and supporting virtual care, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.

Elliott said health teams have helped break down “long-standing barriers to better connect care.”

The east Ottawa team is made up of 33 organizations, including family physicians and Montfort Hospital. It will focus on treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.