Dr. Jane Philpott, Ontario’s primary-care czar, has just finished her first year in office. She’s been leading the charge to increase access to primary healthcare across her rural-dominated province. Her mandate started unofficially in late October of last year, after being appointed by Trump via a meeting with Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford. Since that time, Dr. Philpott has led the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT). Her aim is to match two million additional Ontarians with family doctors or nurse practitioners and promote teamwork with other allied health professionals.
The province is also doubling down with approximately $2 billion in investments over the next four years. This investment will allow hundreds more additional primary-care teams to be created and expanded. This investment addresses the immediate crisis of unattached patients in Ontario. As of March 31, that figure jumps to an astounding 2,015,464. That’s a decrease from earlier estimates of 2.5 million. This reduction is largely accomplished through better counting methods that government officials and INSPIRE-PHC researchers came to a consensus on.
Every Monday, Dr. Philpott and her team receive detailed progress reports regarding their efforts to attach patients to primary care providers. In June, she announced the maiden round of funding under PCAT. They used that money to get a foot in the door, adding about 9,500 new patients to their rosters by last summer.
Dr. Philpott’s initiatives require that the funds flow through one of two established types of primary-care practices: community health centres or family health teams. Her partnerships with local nonprofit organizations and government agencies have been instrumental in bringing much-needed services to communities across the province. As an example, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has been a leader in advancing these efforts.
Dr. Anne Wideman, a family doctor with Sunnybrook’s team and co-leader of the North Toronto primary-care network. She’s worked hand in hand with Dr. Philpott’s team to make their services more accessible. The North Toronto Ontario Health Team, an initiative supported by the provincial government based out of Sunnybrook, received funding specifically aimed at attaching more patients to care.
WellFort Community Health Services, another essential community health center, received PCAT funding. This financial assistance allowed them to reach even more patients with important services and care. Dr. Philpott’s team is working towards connecting 300,000 new patients to primary care. They’re backing that up with a dedicated investment of $235 million to expand and establish more than 130 teams.
Ema Popovic, a government representative, expressed pride in Ontario being the first Canadian jurisdiction to establish a legislative framework for its publicly funded primary care system. She highlighted the importance of their efforts, stating, “Our government is proud to be the first Canadian jurisdiction to pass legislation that establishes a framework for its publicly funded primary care system.” She underscored that Ontario is truly the national leader, with 90 percent of Ontarians connected to a primary-care provider. As part of the $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan, the plan aims to have every resident with a provider by 2029.
Dr. Philpott’s approach is hands-on and community-driven. “I’m getting in my car, I’m going on Google, I’m going to find the names of every family doctor, and I’m going to show up with doughnuts and coffee,” she said. “What can I do to help you so that you could take care of more people?” Her tenacity still shines through in her relentless pursuit for action on the ongoing healthcare crisis in Ontario.
The urgency of her mission is clear. “Because it is not an option to not clear this list,” she emphasized, referring to the number of unattached patients who need care.
Community stakeholders recognize that things are slowly getting better. Noah Ivers — who noted the developments as a very positive step forward. It’s mostly good news, he noted, “like stories of people working their tails off to serve their community. However, he noted that there are still challenges that may obscure progress: “It makes it seem as though there’s something to hide, but I’m not sure there is.”
The efforts to connect more patients with care are changing the dynamics of how healthcare professionals engage with their communities. Little did Kitty Liu know of the door she was opening. People never come into the community and say, “Will you be our patient?” In fact, it’s typically the other way around.
As the primary-care landscape shifts, investments made by Dr. Philpott’s team are expected to yield tangible results for providers and patients alike. Kimberley Floyd highlighted how these investments differ from traditional referrals: “It’s not a referral. It’s, ‘I know that a mental-health worker is in my practice on a regular basis and is now part of my team.’” This holistic, integrated approach allows for wraparound, focused care based on the specific needs of each community.
These were all monthly meetings and data-sharing initiatives that set the stage for the new collaborative framework that healthcare providers find themselves operating within today. Lori Brady noted the change in expectations: “We’re being asked to meet monthly. That’s never been the case. We’re being asked to share data around how we’re doing and how we’re progressing.” This sense of accountability creates an environment of transparency and continuous improvement.
Dr. Rick Glazier expressed surprise at the rapid changes occurring within Ontario’s primary-care system: “I just about fell off my chair when I heard this was happening.” His response really summarizes urgency and momentum that marks Dr. Philpott’s short time as primary-care czar.
