With an estimated population of approximately 100,000 and only a handful of medical and urgent care clinics, the current health model for Orleans is not adequately supporting the needs of the community. Thankfully, that is destined to change and the East end will have better access to health care services than ever before.
The solution is a newly developed plan called the Orleans Family Health Hub. The health hub will offer comprehensive medical services all in one location and closer to patients' homes. An Orléans Family Health Team would integrate primary care services, like visits to family physicians, but also function as a care connector to connect patients to the services they require such as day surgery, cancer assessment or dialysis treatment.
Phil McNeely, local MPP for Orleans, describes the benefits of the health hub: "We can't just keep building bigger hospitals and what the health hub will do will be to move a lot of those services out to the community, out to Orleans, and they'll be delivered here at less costs and closer to people's homes."
The Montfort Hospital is leading the initiative and is to receive $1 million in government funds to aid in the development of the health centre. Other partners include Bruyère Continuing Care, Champlain Local Health Integration Network, CHEO, Community Care Access Centre, Connexion Family Health Team, Orléans Urgent Care Centre, Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Hospital.
The new mini-hospital will be the first of its kind and addresses the growing concerns of an aging population needing quality health care. The health hub will reduce patient wait times and provide care at lower costs. The development is ideal for the growing community of Orleans and will spark continued economic growth for the city.
The new health hub will be located at 2233 Mer Bleue Road. The 21.7 acres of land was purchased from the Taggart Group at a cost of just over $ 4 million. The location has excellent accessibility to all of the neighborhoods in Orleans. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2011 and optimistic promises to be opened sometime in 2013.
A campaign will be launched in the near future to appeal to businesses and individuals to fundraise for the project. Check in on our blog for details and we will keep you up to date on the development of the Health Hub and the fundraising campaign.
This is new health care for a new era and Orleans being a dynamic and growing community is the perfect host for innovative development.
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