Officials say the hiring of a new nurse practitioner at the Mapleton Heath Centre is yet another positive step towards improving the overall health of residents.
Indeed, a lot has changed in the last four years when it comes to the level of health care services available in northern Wellington?County.
“We’ve definitely increased the number of people who now have access to a primary care practitioner close to home,” said Shirley Borges, administrator of the Minto Mapleton Family Health Team (FHT).
“And our team-based care has allowed us to see some significant gains in chronic disease management and disease prevention, particularly in the area of diabetes, heart disease and mental health.”
The patient roster for the Minto Mapleton Family Health Team (FHT) has ballooned from 9,500 to 12,000 since the team was established in October of 2006. That increase was made possible through the hiring of:
– two social workers;
– a registered dietician;
– two registered nurses;
– one health promoter;
– a part-time pharmacist;
– the FHT’s first physician assistant (Jim Tolmie, hired earlier this year as part of a two-year pilot project); and
– two nurse practitioners, with a third currently completing her certification.
Borges explained Melissa Wright started as a full-time nurse practitioner in Clifford in January 2008 and now provides primary care to over 600 patients.
Officials are hopeful that success will be repeated with nurse practitioner Jodi Colwill, who recently started at the Mapleton Heath Centre in Drayton and will be working alongside Dr. Christine Peterkin.
“We are very fortunate to have such a skilled and energetic nurse practitioner join our team,” Borges said. “As important, Jodi is completely comfortable with meeting the primary care needs of our rural residents, given she grew up in rural Wellington County.”
For Colwill, who was born and raised in Mount Forest, the decision to come to Drayton was an easy one.
“Being raised locally, I am very familiar with rural health care and enjoy the diversity that it provides,” she said.
Borges noted Colwill was the FHT’s first experience with the Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner Program (GYOP) offered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which funds the health team.
“The goal is to provide people with increased access to primary health care,” Borges said, adding that despite the health team’s growing patient roster, there are still many in the area without a family doctor.
Under the GYOP?program, the ministry provided funding to the team, which then paid Colwill’s nursing salary while she was in school and also reimbursed her education-related expenses. In exchange, Colwill agreed to a return-of-service commitment to the family health team.
“Obviously it was successful,” Borges said, noting Colwill will hold patient interviews in?September. The team is also going the GYOP route for a third nurse practitioner, who will likely be stationed in the Palmerston or Harriston areas. Colwill said the GYOP “was a great incentive” and provided invaluable support throughout her schooling.
Interestingly, Colwill actually found out about the program through the Wellington?Advertiser. Her mother forwarded her the advertisement placed by the family health team calling for applications under the GYOP.
Colwill explained the difference between a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner starts with the educational requirements. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Western Ontario and worked full-time for two years as a registered nurse in the obstetrics department at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener.
Then, under the GYOP, she attended McMaster University for 12 months straight in order to receive her certification as a primary health care nurse practitioner. She wrote her qualifying exams last October.
“I liked the idea of having a role where I could still use my nursing skills while practicing in a more independent manner and expanding my scope of practice,” Colwill said.
Unlike registered nurses, nurse practitioners can perform health care services similar to those offered by physicians – albeit on a limited scale – including:
– diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries;
– performing physical check-ups;
– ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests;
– writing prescriptions;
– providing counselling, education, treatments, procedures and supportive care; and
– making referrals to family doctors, specialists and other health professionals.
Colwill said her short term goal is to “assist the FHT, physicians and community by increasing the community’s access to care.” She explained that will be accomplished through expanding the team’s patient roster and assisting the team by seeing current patients.
“In the long run, I hope to assist both the FHT and Mapleton Health Centre staff by identifying the needs of the community and the patients and working together in program development and sustainability,” she said.
Borges believes Colwill should have little trouble meeting those goals.
“Her experience will serve her well,” Borges said, noting Colwill’s time in the obstetrics department in Kitchener. She explained the area is full of young, growing families.
Anyone wanting to register with Colwill can join a waiting list right now and she expects to perform interviews by this fall. She and Borges stressed priority is given to those individuals without a doctor, as opposed to those wanting to switch physicians.
More information about the FHT can be obtained by calling 519-638-2110 (Drayton) or 519-327-4777 (Clifford) or visiting mmfht.ca.
