Ontario Connecting Over 2,200 More People to Primary Care in Southwestern Ontario

Over $1.9 million investment brings the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029.

NEWS

LAMBTON-KENT-MIDDLESEX — The Ontario government is taking the next steps to deliver its Primary Care Action Plan, which is on track to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.

As part of this plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the Ontario government is investing $1,962,000 into Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) this year to connect over 2,200 people to primary care in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and surrounding areas. 

“SOAHAC plays an incredibly important role in delivering care that is rooted in Indigenous culture.” said Steve Pinsonneault, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. “This investment will help more people access the primary care services they need while supporting SOAHAC’s continued work across southwestern Ontario. Through this program, our government is delivering on its promise to connect all Ontarians to primary care by 2029.”

The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) is an Indigenous-led health services organization that provides health care for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across southwestern Ontario.

With this funding, SOAHAC will strengthen its capacity to deliver culturally grounded, wholistic health care and improve health equity and outcomes by reaching more Indigenous individuals and families who are not currently connected to a primary care provider. Primary care services and mobile outreach will be expanded across London-Middlesex, Waterloo Wellington, and Grey Bruce. This flexible model will serve urban Indigenous populations as well as rural, remote, and on-reserve communities that often face barriers to accessing consistent, culturally appropriate care.

The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate this to their local community.

“This investment will help us reach more Indigenous people and families with the wholistic primary care and traditional healing they need, regardless of where they live,” confirmed SOAHAC Chief Executive Officer, Jan Martin. “By expanding our capacity, we will be able to better support individuals who face barriers to accessing culturally appropriate care, with a model that is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and teachings, and connected to land, culture, language, family, and community.”

The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre was funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams receiving funding expected to connect another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario. Each team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.

Through the 2026 Budget, the province is increasing overall funding for the plan to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.

The province has also exceeded its 2025-2026 attachment goal under the Primary Care Action Plan, which was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the province had already attached 330,000 people to care in 2025-2026, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000.

“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By connecting more families to care in Southwestern Ontario, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to grow the province’s highly skilled health-care workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.

QUICK FACTS

● Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team is drawing on best-in-class models of care to implement its action plan, supported by the government’s investment of more than $3.4 billion to connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, which will achieve the government’s goal of connecting everyone in the province to primary care.
● The government is making significant progress on its goal of clearing the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025. That waitlist has been reduced by more than 87 per cent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.
● Ontarians looking to find a family doctor or nurse practitioner can register with Health Care Connect or call 811.
● Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, physician assistants, physiotherapists, social workers, dieticians and pharmacists, helping patients to receive more connected and convenient care.
● Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over 14 per cent increase in family doctors.

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