Have you ever wondered what your health care dollars are doing for you in your community?
Hopefully you will have some idea, but if not, this article will give you a glimpse at the free programs and services offered at your local Family Health Teams and hospitals. We are here to serve the community and our patients, so please be in touch.
Family Health Teams (FHTs) have been around for over 10 years now. From the beginning, FHTs have been providing services ranging from prevention to chronic disease management. Each local FHT has a team, and they may be a bit different from community to community, but below is a list of health professionals that typically work within a FHT and what services they provide (services/programs offered either one on one or in a group setting).
Social workers: A main focus for social workers is providing counselling for the prevention of mental health problems. Some of the mental health concerns the social workers can help with include depression, anxiety, self-esteem, anger or stress management, parenting concerns and relationship issues.
Pharmacist: Not sure what medications you take and why? The clinical pharmacist helps you to understand the medications you are taking, make decisions about medication choices, understand how food, activity and other medications affect the medication you are taking and helps to organize medications around food and daily activities.
Nursing: Many FHTs have nurses to help with general health screening, diagnostic testing, administering treatments as ordered, immunizing, blood drawing and patient follow-up. Another focus is to prevent disease progression and reduce potential health complications.
Dietitian: Healthy eating is an important part of overall well-being. Whether you have a specific medical condition or just want more information about choosing healthier foods, the registered dietitian can help you make informed choices about the food you eat.
Kinesiologist: Exercise is the most important thing you can do for your body. But knowing the right exercise for you is important. Get your personalized exercise plan today and see the impact exercise can have on your health and wellbeing. Home based and supervised classes are often available.
Outreach worker: Struggling with the health system? The outreach worker will help you get connected to community agencies, to navigate social programs, and support you when family or friends can’t help.
OTN Nurses: These nurses use the secure technology of today to allow many patients to have appointments with specialists in their home community.
With video-conferencing, wait times, travel burdens and costs are greatly reduced. Ask the next time you see your doctor or nurse practitioner if this is available for you.
Finally, most of you are very familiar with what your doctor or nurse practitioner does, talk with them if you see someone on this list you would like to connect with. If you need a doctor or nurse practitioner, start the registration process by calling Health Care Connect at 1-800-445-1822.
Have your valid health card, paper and pen ready when you call.
The Diabetes Education Centres (DEC) at the hospital or FHTs are a great resource for anyone living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
The DEC and FHT work closely together to help everyone manage their diabetes.
The type of diabetes you have, how controlled your diabetes is and how new the diagnosis is for you will determine which centre will follow your diabetes care. You may be transferred between the two centres as the disease progresses, but either way, a diabetes educator will be there to support you along the way.
Not all services and programs are available in every community. If you are struggling with a health concern and don’t know where to turn for help, or aren’t seeing a program or service listed that you would benefit from, we want to hear from you. Contact your local FHT by phone, or website to send your comments on their feedback or contact us page.
Get informed
For more information about any of the free services offered by your local Family Health Team, ask your doctor or nurse practitioner, visit the website www.afhto.ca or Google ‘family health team locations’.
Sandy Turner is a Health Promoter with the Minto-Mapleton FHT
