RENFREW — The recent signing of two new physicians with the Renfrew Victoria Hospital (RVH) and the Renfrew and Area Health Services Village (RAHSV) is long-awaited good news for many who have been living without a family doctor. However, officials from both organizations are reminding people they must be registered with Health Care Connect’s list, which is dedicated to linking orphan patients with a new physician.
Patricia Dillabough, Physician Recruiter for RVH and the RAHSV, shares the importance of registering.
“We are initiating a new and innovative recruitment plan to ensure that family medicine residents have RVH and the Renfrew and Area Health Services Village on the radar as a location of choice to settle and open their respective practices,” she said. “While we are actively recruiting, it is very important that people in the community without a family physician register with Health Connect. It is the process currently in place to identify individuals without a doctor and who need to be assigned to a family physician as spaces in each practice become available.”
Current statistics from RVH and the RAHSV indicate there are approximately 2,400 people who have identified themselves as orphan patients.
New medical professionals to the area select patients from Health Care Connect’s list. To register, patients are required to have a valid Ontario health number and cannot be already enrolled with a family doctor. Also, all contact information on your OHIP card must be up-to-date.
The program allows individuals or an entire family to register on their website or by calling 1-800-445-1822. Visit the Ontario Ministry of Health at www.Ontario.ca/HealthCareConnect to register online, or contact Renfrew and Area Health Services Village at 613-432-3328.
