A family doctor in Chatham is "extremely grateful" and "very humbled" after being nominated by a patient and recognized by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) for her outstanding care and dedication to the community.
Dr. Allison Morand of the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team was nominated by her patient Rebecca Couture of Chatham.
Morand told CK News Today family medicine has always been her calling because she loves watching families grow and growing along with them.
"Initially, I thought it was something negative or perhaps a complaint. So, when I read it I was extremely grateful and also very humbled that somebody took the time out of their busy day to put forth that they truly appreciate the care that I provide to them and their family," said Dr. Morand. "I enjoy doing truly comprehensive family medicine. So, I knew I was going to go into something where I could see a variety of cases and be able to see families throughout their lives, both in good times and in very challenging times."
Couture said her family is very thankful for Dr. Morand because she truly takes the time to listen and understand why she is seeking her help.
"She asks many questions to dig deep about what’s troubling you. She is compassionate, dedicated, but most of all she is quirky with an amazingly dry sense of humour that we love,” said Couture.
Morand, who is originally from Lasalle, said she felt very welcome when she toured Chatham-Kent and decided to stay in 2008.
Dr. Morand said she has 1,300 patients and wishes she could take more, but can't.
She said the incentives being proposed by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent will definitely help attract more family doctors to the municipality, but warns officials not to forget about retaining them.
Morand said she provides Acute Care Medicine in the Emergency Department, Palliative Care, and house calls, along with her duties at the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team. She noted Artificial Intelligence is slowly reducing red tape and the amount of time family doctors spend doing paperwork. However, the cost of doing business is still a big problem and incentives to hire administrative staff and Physician Assistants would allow family physicians to better care for their patients. Dr. Morand also noted that a recent government increase for doctors is not enough to cover all of the administrative expenses.
"The problem is the cost. I mean in terms of being able to provide that type of care and being able to see more patients, all of those things come with cost. And cost is something that continues to increase where the amount that we can bill for hasn't really moved up," Morand said.
The recognition is part of a campaign to highlight the essential role of family doctors. The OCFP asked Ontarians to tell them how their family doctor has gone above and beyond for them, adding the response was overwhelming with more than 750 family doctors recognized by patients across Ontario.
“What we heard from patients in all corners of the province, including in Windsor and the surrounding area, is that family physicians are there for patients, providing care when they need it most,” said OCFP President Dr. Jobin Varughese. “We are thankful for the dedication and care that family physicians show to patients.”
In Chatham-Kent, there are 32,421 people who don't have a family doctor or nurse practitioner and 45 family physicians are needed based on current trends with retirements, etc. In Ontario, there are 2.5 million people without a family doctor.
“Family physicians are the foundation of our health care system, and every Ontarian should have access to one,” said OCFP CEO Deepy Sur. “We can get there by ensuring family physicians have the right supports in the right place to allow them to continue to provide patient care.”
The Ontario College of Family Physicians is calling on government and healthcare leaders to continue taking steps to prioritize patient care by increasing access to family doctors. The group said Ontario can retain the family doctors we have now and recruit for the future by reducing unnecessary red tape and ensuring family doctors have the right supports to stay focused on patients.