Patient medical homes launched in 5 locations on P.E.I.

Patient medical homes have been formed at five Island primary care locations, beginning the shift in primary health care from solo family practices to collaborative health care.

Patient medical homes deliver team-based care through a model that has been developed and endorsed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The homes will give Islanders quicker access to care in some cases,said Health Minister Ernie Hudson.

The first five patient medical homes have launched at the following locations:

• Polyclinic and Parkdale Medical Centre, Charlottetown.
• Sherwood Medical Centre, Charlottetown.
• Kinlock Medical Centre, Stratford.
• Kensington Health Centre, Kensington.
• Cornwall/Crapaud Health Centres, Cornwall and Crapaud.

Additional health-care providers across P.E.I. are in development and are at various stages of signing on to provide team-based care, Hudson said.

The teams at each home will include multiple professionals, each working collaboratively within the team to their full scope of care.

Islanders who are currently patients of practices that transition to patient medical homes will remain as patients with the clinics they are used to visiting, according to the province.

Specialized care

Under the new system, the family physician may not be the person you see for your health issue. For example, if your concern can be addressed by a dietitian, that professional may see you instead of a family physician.

Green MLAMichele Beaton welcomed the announcement, but saidshe'd like to see social workers and mental-health professionals added to the teams.

Liberal MLA Robert Henderson said he's not convinced the new plan is much different from the system in place now, and appears to bejust renaming collaborative practices.