Country Correspondents: Danielle Rodin and Roosa Tikkanen
In February, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot announced plans to consolidate the province’s six health agencies, including eHealth and Health Quality, with 14 local health integration networks into one central agency, Ontario Health. Elliott also encouraged the creation of 30 to 50 integrated local health teams, comprising hospitals, long-term care agencies, and other providers, to deliver and coordinate care to some 300,000 people. The minister stressed that it’s not the patient’s job to navigate a complicated health system “during what is already one of the most traumatic and stress-filled periods in their lives . . . that is just wrong.” The reforms also will be accompanied by expanded availability of digital health care tools, including virtual consultations.
