Northern Routes

The doctor is in. And in. And in.

In an unprecedented commitment to health care in Northern Ontario, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) was in Sudbury last week for the launch of their Northern health-care recommendations. In developing the OMA’s Prescription for Northern Ontario, more than 1,600 physicians and physician leaders provided input. The current health-care system is plagued by physician shortages; long wait times; a serious backlog of services; inadequate mental health and addiction programs; and, insufficient home and community care, among other problems. Nowhere are the issues more critical. Equitable access to health care in Northern Ontario...

Listening, learning and daring to lead

These past six weeks, I have had the joy of traveling across Northern Ontario to consult widely about NOSM University. I have met with leaders, physician teachers, resident doctors, medical students, alumni, community-based researchers and so many more. For me, this has been about listening, learning and respecting. Importantly, it’s been about transparency and honest conversations. As we make the journey to becoming NOSM University, our public consultation is employing a range of strategies to foster trust as a critical element in long-term, sustainable engagement. With trust, comes relationships that respect the right of partners...

Doctors needed.

This week is the start of our public consultations about the future of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). We are kicking off a series of town halls in Thunder Bay this evening and there is still time to register. I also look forward to spending time in Sioux Lookout, Kenora, Fort Frances, Hearst, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and Rosseau in the coming weeks. Dates and times as well as a link to RSVP are on the School’s website. As space is limited to attend in person, please RSVP or plan to participate virtually. It is not possible at this time to visit every community so I encourage all Northern Ontarian...