Ontario extends funding for Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre

Renfrew County residents still looking to secure a family doctor will be reassured knowing they will be able to access a primary care option.

On Friday, the Ontario government announced $3.2 million to fund the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (RC VTAC) until 2024.

Funding for the community para-medicine program, created in the early days of the pandemic, was initially temporary and was set to expire on March 31. With this announcement, the program will now become a permanent fixture in the county, bridging the gap for those residents without a family doctor.

"Oh this is huge for health care in Renfrew County," Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski said.

"As you know, we are one of many areas in the province that are challenged when it comes to the number of family physicians and the number of people who don't have access to one."

Approximately 30,000 people or roughly 30 per cent of people in Renfrew County are without a family physician.

The Renfrew County VTAC is a concept that was founded in the Ottawa Valley and is driven by paramedics. While also creating a primary health care option for those who could not access a family doctor, the program was also able to take pressure off local emergency rooms.

"It's really a hybrid model of care," said Mike Nolan, chief paramedic in Renfrew County.

"Twenty-four-seven access to a medical receptionist, primary care physician, and community paramedics who are working in clinics across Renfrew County and in your own home."

"When you've called VTAC, once we now have a care record with your name on it. You call back, we pick up where you left off."

With the new provincial budget only being announced Thursday, the County of Renfrew initially earmarked $100,000 earlier this year to prop the program up through April; those funds will not be needed now.

Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon says it wasn't difficult convincing the province to commit to a first of its kind program.

"We just had to reset the table for them to let them know we've got 30,000-plus without a family doctor," Emon told CTV News.

Nolan adds that the success of the program spoke for itself when the call for funding came down.

"We treated over 80,000 people in Renfrew County over the past three years when accessing healthcare has been at an all-time high as a challenge."

Emon adds many similar rural regions are inquiring about the model, but says that despite RC VTAC's success, this is not a long-term solution to a physician shortage seen across the country.

"I think we should also continue to try and find physicians," says the county's warden.

"I know there's recruiting efforts across the county and we encourage that as well, but this definitely has a role as part of the healthcare system."