Breaking Healthcare Barriers: How Northern Ontario is Transforming Patient Care

Discover how Northern Ontario is transforming patient care through collaborative healthcare frameworks, ensuring inclusive access for all communities.

Dec 3, 2024
Breaking Healthcare Barriers: How Northern Ontario is Transforming Patient Care

Équipe Santé Ontario Sudbury Espanola Manitoulin Elliot Lake (ÉSO SEMEL) Ontario Health Team (OHT) Strategic Planning

How might we build a unified and collaborative healthcare framework that balances the diverse needs of urban and rural communities in Northern Ontario, ensuring inclusive access and effective resource allocation?
ÉSO SEMEL partnered with DOYON+ to create a strategic plan that would support a unified, collaborative framework for addressing the healthcare needs of Northern Ontario’s urban and rural communities. The planning process aimed to improve healthcare access, foster partnerships, and optimize service coordination. Given the challenge of integrating diverse stakeholder perspectives and balancing needs between rural and urban regions, DOYON+ developed a structured plan that incorporated data insights and stakeholder feedback.
The process included surveys, focus groups, and dedicated sessions comprised of healthcare providers and community members. By implementing a regular feedback loop, DOYON+ ensured that all perspectives were considered, resulting in a balanced and inclusive strategic plan. This collaborative approach provided ÉSO SEMEL OHT with an actionable framework to allocate resources more effectively and enhance healthcare access for underserved populations. The project illustrated the effectiveness of community-centered strategies in regional healthcare planning.