Mar 13, 2024
CHIPPEWAS OF THE THAMES FIRST NATION – Queen’s Park is investing more than $1.4 million to expand health care services at two First Nations medical centres in Southwestern Ontario.
The funding, announced Wednesday, will expand team-based primary care for a pair of Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) locations – Chippewas of the Thames and Newbury – and address the need for more services and greater access to health care for Indigenous peoples.
“We’re going to be able to expand care here at Chippewa (and) we’re also going to be able to expand at the Newbury site, which is really needed out there (because) there’s been some physician retirements in that area,” said Dave Remy, SOAHAC’s director of client care.
Remy said Wednesday’s announcement was welcomed, but there still is more to be done to address challenges faced by First Nations populations, including the need for additional funding and more health-care workers.
“Truthfully, it’s pretty bad,” Remy said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to be able to gain the right amount of ground to be able to really affect health in a positive way.