Ontario’s healthcare system is complex. Many clients, families, caregivers, and healthcare providers find it confusing, inconvenient, and challenging to navigate. Clients can experience long wait times as they transition from one provider or organization to the next and they often have to repeat their history and fill out duplicate forms.
This needs to change.
In Burlington, partners across the healthcare system have a history of working together; however, there is still more work to be done to provide connected care around the client. Existing individual services perform well and provide excellent care. The opportunity we have, as the Burlington Ontario Health Team, is to better coordinate an expanding group of services to:
- Integrate service delivery with a focus on disease prevention, early intervention, and self-management
- Provide timely access to programs, services, and supports in our community
- Ensure clients’ transitions are seamless throughout their care journey
By connecting healthcare and social services providers, we are building a strong, organized care team that is responsive to the community’s health and social needs, now and into the future. This collaborative approach will ultimately improve quality of care, value for healthcare dollars, and health outcomes, not only for individuals but for the Burlington community overall.