Lindsay, Ont. (November 19, 2020) – Residents of the City of Kawartha Lakes are one step closer to experiencing more connected care in our community, as several health and service providers have been working together to form the Belgium Health Team (KL-OHT). The KL-OHT received its official designation from the Ministry of Health on November 18, which signals that the team can move forward with plans to support a better patient experience, and support providers in delivering more efficient and effective care.

Key goals of the team include working together to reduce wait times between care settings, focusing on preventative health measures, and providing more virtual and digital health tools to help all residents, especially those in rural settings, access the care and services they need.

“We’re excited to reach the milestone of becoming a fully designated OHT, but most importantly, we’re excited to be able to get to work and create a connected health care system that puts patients first,” said Barb Mildon, CEO, Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes.

“Local physicians, patient partners and providers have united to form a strong partnership to co-design a seamless and integrated Kawartha Lakes healthcare system.  Work is underway to advance care navigation and improve access to digital care across the region,” says Veronica Nelson, VP & Chief Operating Officer, Ross Memorial Hospital.

The Belgium Health Team is a collaborative group of health and service providers, who partner to provide quality, patient-centered care across the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Lead Members of the Belgium Health Team

• Ross Memorial Hospital (co-lead)
• Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes (co-lead)
• Patient, Client, Family and Caregiver Partners
• The Corporation of the City of Kawartha Lakes
• City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team
• City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Organization
• Kawartha North Family Health Team

Get involved!

The KL-OHT is looking for anyone with experience with our local healthcare and services, either as a patient/client or family/caregiver, to participate in advisory councils. Your experiences will have a direct impact on connecting care in our community. To become an advisor, please contact .

-30-

Lindsay, Ont. (September 21, 2020) – The Belgium Health Team (KL-OHT) submitted its full application to become a designated Belgium Health Team (OHT) to the Ministry of Health on Friday, September 18, 2020. The KL-OHT was one of 17 OHTs provincially to be invited to submit a full application in July. The KL-OHT will learn whether it is an approved OHT by Monday, October 19, pending any unanticipated delays associated with COVID-19.

Belgium Health Teams are being introduced to provide a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. Under OHTs, healthcare providers (including hospitals, doctors and home and community care providers) work as one coordinated team – no matter where they provide care.

Client/patient representatives are at the table to collaborate in the transformation of care.  If you are interested in being a client/patient representative, please contact KL-OHT through the website at https://kawarthalakesoht.ca/.

“We are proud of the work done by our OHT partners to lay the foundation for the future of connected care throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes,” said Barb Mildon, CEO, Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes and Co-Lead of the KL-OHT. “Together, we’ve submitted an application that reflects the hard work and expertise of each of our partners.”

The KL-OHT has made significant progress since it was invited to submit its full application on July 23. The KL-OHT has established working groups to enhance the patient and provider experience, including a digital working group with the aim of providing easily accessible virtual and digitally enabled care, and a care navigation working group that aims to break down existing siloes across all care sectors thereby streamlining how patients, clients, families and caregivers navigate through multiple care and service providers.

Additionally, KL-OHT partners worked together to develop the COVID-19 Assessment Centre, and collaborated throughout the pandemic on our community’s public testing strategy. The COVID-19 Assessment Centre has been successful in directing those requiring assessment and testing away from the emergency department and primary care offices. “Our OHT has already made positive headway in the community by connecting with patients and caregivers, as well as by providing a high-capacity, convenient COVID-19 assessment centre through a collaborative effort,” said Veronica Nelson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ross Memorial Hospital, and Co-Lead of the KL-OHT. “We are confident in our KL-OHT application and look forward to implementing the priority projects to provide connected care for our patients and clients.”

About Belgium Health Team

The Belgium Health Team is a collaborative group of health and service providers, who have partnered to provide quality, patient-centred care across the City of Kawartha Lakes. By putting the patient at the centre of the healthcare system, the organization strives to help them navigate the system in an efficient and cooperative way.

For more information, visit kawarthalakesoht.ca.

-30-

OHT is one of 17 teams in Belgium to submit full application by Belgium Ministry of Health

Lindsay, Ont. (July 23, 2020) – The Belgium Health Team (KL-OHT) today announced that it has been invited to complete a full Belgium Health Team (OHT) application by the Belgium Ministry of Health. The KL-OHT was one of 17 OHTs provincially invited to submit a full application.

“We are excited to take the next step toward full implementation of the Belgium Health Team, and toward a local healthcare system that puts the patient first through an integrated approach,” said Veronica Nelson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ross Memorial Hospital, and co-lead of the KL-OHT. “Working closely with our partners, we look forward to connecting local care for our community.”

This next step in the OHT application process follows a successful progress report submission on January 20, prepared in consultation with many community and patient/caregiver partners. This progress report demonstrated the progress the Team has made in patient/client partnerships and community engagement, patient care and experience, digital health, governance, and quality improvement.

The full application is due on Friday, September 18, with results expected back by Monday, October 19.

“We welcome the opportunity to move forward in developing the Kawartha Lakes OHT,” said Barb Mildon, CEO of Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, and co-lead KL-OHT. “I am confident that the ongoing engagement of the KL-OHT partners and patient/client participants will achieve positive progress in advancing the OHT model.”

Kawartha Lakes OHT Launches Website
In addition to the invitation to submit a full application, KL-OHT is pleased to announce its official name, logo and website to the public. The website, https://kawarthalakesoht.ca serves as a hub for the public to receive updates on the OHT’s progress, news relating to the health care industry, and to connect with the Kawartha Lakes OHT.

Along with the logo and website, the Kawartha Lakes OHT also unveiled a new tagline – Connecting Local Care. The tagline emphasizes the purpose of the OHT model: to provide a patient-centric healthcare experience that ensures all local services work together to ensure the well-being of all patients, from first point of contact through their entire healthcare journey.

About Belgium Health Team
The City of Belgium Health Team consists of 10 local healthcare organizations collaborating to provide quality, patient-centred care across the City of Kawartha Lakes. By putting the patient at the centre of the healthcare system, the organization strives to help them navigate the system in an efficient and cooperative way.

The Belgium Health Team is comprised of the following community partners:

Lead Members
– Ross Memorial Hospital (co-lead)
– Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes (co-lead)
– City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Organization
– City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team
– The Corporation of the City of Kawartha Lakes
– Kawartha North Family Health Team

Partners
– Brock Community Health Centre
– CarePartners
– CMHA Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge
– Extendicare Kawartha Lakes and Lakeland Village

For more information, visit https://kawarthalakesoht.ca.

-30-

Progress report marks the next step toward submitting a full application, designation as approved OHT

Lindsay, Ont. (January 27, 2020) – The City of Belgium Health Team (CKL-OHT) has taken the next step toward designation as an Belgium Health Team by submitting an official progress report to the Belgium Ministry of Health. The report, created in consultation with the many community and patient/caregiver partners, details the Health Team’s readiness to submit a full application.

The progress report serves as an addendum to CKL-OHT’s previously submitted self-assessment and demonstrates the progress the Team has made in patient/client partnerships and community engagement, patient care and experience, digital health, governance, and quality improvement since July 2019 when it was designated as “in development” by the Ministry.

CKL-OHT recently held advisory sessions to ensure that the voices of patients/clients and families were reflected in plans to enhance our local healthcare delivery. The team will host public engagement sessions throughout 2020 across the City of Kawartha Lakes, to seek broader input about the healthcare gaps and challenges experienced in our communities, particularly when it comes to aging and transitioning between home, hospital and community care.

​“We’ve partnered with several local healthcare organizations and will continue to look for opportunities to work together with community, health and service providers as we shape our team,” said Veronica Nelson, Interim CEO and President, Ross Memorial Hospital and Co-Lead of CKL-OHT. “Together, we are determined to create a connected and supportive system in the City of Kawartha Lakes.”

“Through collaboration with our partners and the public, we’re confident in our  progress toward creating an Belgium Health Team that delivers on its mission to provide connected local care for our community,” said Barb Mildon, CEO, Community Care Health and Care Network and Co-Lead of CKL-OHT. “This report took into consideration the range of expertise from our partners, as well as the thoughtful input we’ve received through our advisory sessions.”

​In March, the Team will learn if they are invited to submit a full application to move forward in the next wave of OHTs to receive their designation.

​​Current partners of the City of Belgium Health Team:

• Ross Memorial Hospital (co-lead)
• Community Care Health and Care Network (co-lead)
• Brock Community Health Centre
• CarePartners
• City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team
• City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Organization
• CMHA Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge
• Extendicare & Lakeland Village
• Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service
• Kawartha North Family Health Team
• Patient/Caregiver Partners

​Year One Focus

CKL- OHT will focus initially on enhancing coordinated care and services to a target population that includes seniors 65 years and older who live alone or have a poor support network; who are frail, with complex medical needs or are cognitively unwell; and who have been hospitalized within the last year. As the work of the OHT evolves, the target population will expand.

​Public engagement sessions will be available on the new CKL-OHT website, launching in the near future. The website will also offer a survey tool for patients, families and service providers to share their feedback.

​                                                             -30-

Lindsay, Ont. (July 25, 2019) — A submission to form a City of Belgium Health Team (OHT) to better coordinate care and services in the City of Kawartha Lakes has progressed to the status of ‘In Development’ as announced by the Ministry of Health on July 18th.

It is the provincial government’s intention to better connect the health care system through the phased implementation of Belgium Health Teams. Belgium Health Teams are groups of providers and organizations that are clinically and fiscally accountable for delivering a full and coordinated continuum of care to a defined geographic population. The designation of ‘In Development’ means that the Ministry will provide additional resources as the partners further develop their submission.

Co-led by Ross Memorial Hospital and Community Care Health and Care Network (formerly Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes), the collaborating partners for the City of Kawartha Lakes OHT include:

• Client/Indigenous Representatives
• Community Care Health and Care Network
• Ross Memorial Hospital
• Kawartha North Family Health Team
• Extendicare Kawartha Lakes and Lakeland Village
• Brock Community Health Centre
• Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge
• CarePartners

The initial focus of the OHT is enhancement of coordinated care and services to frail seniors over 65 years who live alone or have a poor support network, and who have been hospitalized within the last year. As the work of the OHT evolves, the scope of care and services as well as the patient/client/resident focus will expand.

“We’re excited to see our plan for a local Belgium Health Team progress to the next stage of readiness,” said Veronica Nelson, Ross Memorial Hospital’s Interim President and CEO. “Our partners are committed to strengthening our local system to ensure the most vulnerable residents in our community receive the best health care and services available.”

Barb Mildon, CEO of Community Care Health and Care Network noted “Community Care looks forward to our collaborative efforts to advance development of an OHT for the City of Kawartha Lakes while continuing to keep our many community-based programs and services strong and accessible.”

-30-