Physician-professor joins Champlain LHIN team

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By EMC News

By naming Dr. Jacques Lemelin as primary care lead for the Champlain Local Health Integration Network Feb. 2, the LHIN may have taken a major step to strengthen and further integrate primary care into local health planning.

Dr. Lemelin is a family physician in Ottawa and professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Ottawa.

He will work with the Champlain LHIN to ensure primary care services are better integrated with the work of other health sectors.

By working together, the LHIN and local health service providers continue to implement strategies to improve access to quality care for residents in the area.

Across the province, LHINs have been building partnerships with local primary care providers.

The introduction of a primary care lead in each of the province's 14 LHINs is endorsed by both the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ontario Medical.

The move is also in line with the government's Action Plan commitment to bring planning for the full patient journey under the LHINs.

Through collaborative work, local primary care providers can strengthen these partnerships and focus on implementing system initiatives identified locally by the LHIN through extensive community consultation to address local challenges.

In the Champlain LHIN, these local efforts have included:

- Establishing a Primary Care Physician Leadership Table to strengthen collaboration and communication among Champlain LHIN physician leaders and primary care providers throughout the region. Primary care models include community health centres, family health teams, other types of family-physician groups, and nurse practitioner-led clinics,

- Recently hosting a one-day primary care engagement workshop focused on caring for the elderly.

This event was a collaboration of the Champlain LHIN, the Ontario Medical Association, Ottawa Public Health, and University of Ottawa Continuing Medical Education,

- Ensuring physicians and primary care providers are members of various planning committees of the LHIN,

- Working with primary care physicians and other clinicians on specific eHealth projects to improve referral and consultation systems,

- Engaging with the Champlain Health Professional Advisory Committee on priorities of the LHIN.