Dear Executive Directors, Board Chairs, and Clinical Leads,
We’re writing to share key information from the Ministry of Health’s technical briefing held earlier today on the new Call for Proposals for Interprofessional Primary Care Teams. For those of you who were unable to attend the technical briefing, you can reach out to your Ontario Health regional representative to obtain the recording. OH regional contacts can be found in the table below.
In addition, AFHTO has divided up our team to best serve its members during the proposal process – please see your main AFHTO contact based on OH Region and contact information. Dale, Jess and I will be proactively reaching out to our member ED/CEOs based on the identified FSAs.
This bulletin is intended for all members who are able to serve populations in the ministry-identified high-priority FSAs (postal codes). If your organization is not positioned to potentially serve these populations, you may disregard this message.
|
Ontario Health Region |
Contact |
AFHTO Lead |
|
Toronto |
Dale Clement |
|
|
East |
Michael Scarpitti |
|
|
West |
Michael Scarpitti |
|
|
Central |
Dale Clement |
|
|
North East |
Jess Rogers |
|
|
North West |
Jess Rogers |
For those unable to attend today’s technical briefing, we have summarized the most important details below to help guide your participation in this proposal process.
AFHTO has also attached the components of the proposal application package below, to support your preparation. These materials are also available via your OHT, but we wanted to proactively ensure all eligible members received them directly.
Proposal application package components:
- Application form – a goal this year was reducing the workload and making it as simple as possible to fill out
- Attestation form
- Submission guide for OHTs/PCNs
- Budget template
Proposal Submission Overview:
- Deadline to submit: May 2, 2025, 5pm EST
- Submission method: Email proposals to primarycareexpansion@ontariohealth.ca
- New FHTs: Must indicate the full FHO group affiliation
Key Points from the Ministry Briefing:
Role of OHTs and PCNs
- OHTs will coordinate and submit proposals on behalf of local providers. All proposals must be submitted in collaboration with the identified OHTs (Indigenous-led proposals are exempt from this requirement)
- They will ensure proposals have broad primary care engagement
- Providers don’t need to be physically located in an FSA but must serve the population in it
- OHTs are expected to:
- Share the proposal package
- Support partners with data access and coordinate across OHTs where needed
- Submit an attestation form with the proposal
- OHT data packages were distributed on April 10. A data webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15. OHTs will be invited by Ontario Health.
- If your OHT did not receive data, they can contact Ontario Health: ohtanalytics@ontariohealth.ca
Additional Details:
- Indigenous-led proposals may submit directly without OHT/PCN involvement
- Small capital purchases may be approved through this funding
- Four primary care models are eligible for the funding: FHTs, CHCs, NPLCs, Indigenous-led primary care organizations.
- Rural and Northern Physician Groups (RNPGs) are also eligible to apply (assuming they will be affiliated with a FHT).
- Hospitals can be involved or act as fund holders if the funding is co-managed with a nonprofit (e.g., a FHT)
- Proposals must clearly state their model, service area, timelines, and organizational readiness
Q&A Highlights from the Briefing:
- FSAs were attributed based on patient data and OHT coverage.
- Teaching clinics can be flagged in the proposal, there will be more info on specifically expanding teaching clinics in future rounds.
- Outreach to Ontario Health at Home connectors is not required yet—more guidance to come.
- Clinics outside an FSA are eligible to apply if they can serve patients in that FSA (postal code).
- Proposals can include expansion or new teams, including satellite sites.
We encourage all eligible members to connect with your local OHT as soon as possible to confirm your participation and begin planning your proposal. AFHTO will be proactively reaching out to OHTs and members who we identify as being potentially able to serve patients in the identified postal codes in the coming days. If you have any questions or require support, AFHTO is here to help. Please reach out to directly: michael.scarpitti@afhto.ca.
Sincerely,
Michael Scarpitti
Director, Strategic Communications and Government Relations
Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO)