Since the pandemic, the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (RC VTAC), has been integral to the delivery of local health care.
Locals rely on it, and are well-familiar with its merits- but a Provincial accolade or two can never hurt.
On October 23rd, the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario presented its annual Bright Lights Awards to “Integrated Virtual Care” (IVC), a component of the RC VTAC umbrella, for its population-based approach.
In the absence of having a family doctor, IVC patients are connected to the gamut of health-care providers (Dietician, Social Worker, Pharmacist, Respiratory Therapist, Midwives, Registered Practical Nurse, and Nurse Practitioners), such as are embedded within the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Team.
The Ontario Award was mirrored at a presentation on RC VTAC and IVC at the Renfrew County Health Committee meeting November 15th.
As well as Provincial, National- and even international recognition, IVC has also recently expanded to North Renfrew Family Health Team in Deep River and West Champlain Family Health Team.
Renfrew County has approximately 30,000 patients who are unattached (without a family physician) and since 2020, with IVC 3,249 patients have been successfully attached to physicians and have had 10,436 appointments with a family doctor.
By Rick Stow
