It isn’t radical to say that navigating our country’s health system is a daunting experience for most Canadians. With so many acronyms, provincial balkanization, weird drug names, “long term” care vs healthcare, etc., not to mention wait times, service closures and staff shortages, it’s not hard to become a little bewildered.
But one term that should hold no confusion for any of us is the term, “primary care”, with the word “primary”, meaning “of chief importance”.* As Dr. Robert Bell, former President of the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto and Dr. Matthew Chow, former President of Doctors of BC, flagged for Canadians in 2022, “Primary care is the foundation for all health care services in Canada.” Which to me means that primary care is the prime healthcare tool in our daily survival kit to help us get through life.
Primary care is also the centerpiece of Jane Philpott’s 2024 book Health for All where Dr. Philpott calls for a National Primary Care Act. She describes a new way for every Canadian to have ready access to essential everyday services such as mental health, homecare, community paramedicine, and palliative care; all provided by a local multi-disciplinary team, seven days a week, up to 12 hours per day. What’s not to like? It’s common sensical!
It is Dr. Philpott’s book, and her primary care solution, that has inspired the second Stratford Primary Care and Homecare Symposium. Brought to you by a group of community volunteers and visionary sponsors, this year’s Symposium (a fancy word for a meeting) will feature eight keynote speakers, a University of Waterloo student lightning panel, and a community table display area. This free Symposium also comes with a challenge to all attendees – regular citizens, service clubs, municipal representatives, academics, small business owners, and
anyone else expressing interest – how do we help the powers that be make a National Primary Care Act a reality for every person in Stratford and Perth County.
*Oxford Concise Dictionary