Stoney Point needs primary care: Pharmacist, resident call for action from Ontario leaders
CBC
The Healthpoint pharmacy in Stoney Point, Ont., — a rural community in Lakeshore — is fighting for a nurse practitioner and hoping provincial leaders make it a priority this election.
"We need to have access for every single Canadian to have access for a primary care provider," said Mina Seifin, the pharmacist at Healthpoint.
The community is under-served, with an aging population. It's been several years since the last doctor practicing in Stoney Point retired.
The pharmacy tries to fill the gap as best it can by offering a walk-in Telehealth clinic, but it's not enough.
"The area is still in need," he said, adding that he himself is without a primary care provider.
The pharmacy applied for a nurse practitioner in partnership with the Lakeshore Nurse-Practitioner Led Clinic in 2023. It was done at a time when the province had been accepting proposals to expand primary-care teams. Seifin said at the time, they had collected 800 signatures from people looking for a primary care provider.
The application was denied, but Seifin said he doesn't know why, explaining that it's been frustrating — and he doesn't know what to do next.
"It's very challenging," he said, adding that people in the community are "more frustrated" than he is.
Margaret Bradley, who lives nearby, says it was upsetting when the application fell through. She's felt the impact of the primary care shortage first hand. Bradley has been unable to find a provider since her doctor retired.
"I started going downhill because I wasn't seeing a doctor," she said. "I ended up having a heart attack."
Healthcare has been big topic during Ontario's snap election with all the main parties making significant promises.
Bradley and Seifin are one of 2.5 million Ontarians who don't have a primary care provider.
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