Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team Submits Full Application to Ontario Ministry of Health

September 21, 2020

Share this article

Lindsay, Ont. (September 21, 2020)    The Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team (KL-OHT) submitted its full application to become a designated Ontario Health Team (OHT) to the Ministry of Health on Friday, September 18, 2020. The KL-OHT was one of 17 OHTs provincially to be invited to submit a full application in July. The KL-OHT will learn whether it is an approved OHT by Monday, October 19, pending any unanticipated delays associated with COVID-19.


Ontario Health Teams are being introduced to provide a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. Under OHTs, healthcare providers (including hospitals, doctors and home and community care providers) work as one coordinated team – no matter where they provide care.


Client/patient representatives are at the table to collaborate in the transformation of care. If you are interested in being a client/patient representative, please contact KL-OHT through the website at   Kawartha Lakes OHT.


“We are proud of the work done by our OHT partners to lay the foundation for the future of connected care throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes,” said Barb Mildon, CEO, Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes and Co-Lead of the KL-OHT. “Together, we’ve submitted an application that reflects the hard work and expertise of each of our partners.”


The KL-OHT has made significant progress since it was invited to submit its full application on July 23. The KL-OHT has established working groups to enhance the patient and provider experience, including a digital working group with the aim of providing easily accessible virtual and digitally enabled care, and a care navigation working group that aims to break down existing siloes across all care sectors thereby streamlining how patients, clients, families and caregivers navigate through multiple care and service providers.


Additionally, KL-OHT partners worked together to develop the COVID-19 Assessment Centre, and collaborated throughout the pandemic on our community’s public testing strategy. The COVID-19 Assessment Centre has been successful in directing those requiring assessment and testing away from the emergency department and primary care offices. “Our OHT has already made positive headway in the community by connecting with patients and caregivers, as well as by providing a high-capacity, convenient COVID-19 assessment centre through a collaborative effort,” said Veronica Nelson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ross Memorial Hospital, and Co-Lead of the KL-OHT. “We are confident in our KL-OHT application and look forward to implementing the priority projects to provide connected care for our patients and clients.”


About Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team


The Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team is a collaborative group of health and service providers, who have partnered to provide quality, patient-centred care across the City of Kawartha Lakes. By putting the patient at the centre of the healthcare system, the organization strives to help them navigate the system in an efficient and cooperative way.


For more information, visit   Kawartha Lakes OHT 

More Updates

April 2, 2026
Join the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team for a Lunch & Learn!
Virtual Lunch & Learn flyer by Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team about eReferrals on Feb 11, 2026, at 12:15 PM.
April 2, 2026
Join the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team for a Lunch & Learn!
Virtual Lunch & Learn on Ontario Structured Psychotherapy, Dec 5, 2025, 12:15-1 PM. Register at klhoht.ca/lunch-and-learn-7.
November 25, 2025
Join us to learn about the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP), a program which provides free cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for adults experiencing depression or anxiety, available virtually, by phone, or in person.
Person in white sweater types on laptop while sitting on bed.
November 4, 2025
Join us to learn about the East Region Virtual Care Clinic—an innovative model providing timely, team-based virtual care to patients across the region.
Young person cutting vegetables; older person reaches into a black crate in a kitchen.
October 21, 2025
The Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team (KLH-OHT) is pleased to share an update on our ongoing efforts on behalf of our partners to strengthen access to primary care across our region. Working in partnership with local Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Community Health Centres, and independent physician practices, we continue to make progress in connecting unattached residents with a primary care provider. As part of this system-wide effort, we are currently working through the Health Care Connect (HCC) waitlist to match patients with new or expanding primary care teams. If you do not have a primary care provider, registering with Health Care Connect is the most important step you can take. You can register online at ontario.ca/healthcareconnect or by calling 1-800-445-1822 . Importantly, you no longer need to “de-roster” from your existing provider (for example, if you are still rostered to a doctor or nurse practitioner in another community far away). Registering with HCC will not affect your current care but will help us identify who in our local communities is actively seeking a new provider closer to home. This updated process helps ensure that all residents who want to access care locally are counted and prioritized appropriately. To date, we are pleased to report that: 700 new patients are being attached at the Haliburton Highlands Family Health Organization (approximately 250 to date), 100+ new patients are being attached to Nurse Practitioners and/or Family Physicians practices in Bobcaygeon, Woodville and Lindsay Various primary care providers across the KLH-OHT geography continue to expand capacity to welcome more patients as we build capacity across the system. These efforts represent important progress toward building a stronger, more equitable primary care foundation—one that ensures every resident has access to comprehensive, team-based care close to home. We thank all residents for their patience as we continue this important work and encourage everyone seeking a local provider to register with Health Care Connect today. “So much of health begins with primary care,” says Stephanie MacLaren, Executive Director of the KLH-OHT . “Working through this monumental task takes deep partnership and commitment. Our shared goal is to strengthen access—because primary care is not only the front door to the health system, it’s a cornerstone of healthy communities. We are grateful for the Ontario government’s investment in primary care and the work of the Primary Care Action Team.” For more information, visit www.klhoht.ca or follow our updates on social media.
October 21, 2025
The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.
Bridge over calm water at sunset, road leads to horizon, orange and yellow sky, trees and buildings along the shores.
October 3, 2025
Impact Report 2024/25
Newsletter graphic: Flying email envelopes, blue background, abstract teal tree.
July 10, 2024
Welcome to our 8th edition of the newsletter for the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team. Read on to learn more about some of our key initiatives that support our mission of connecting local care in Kawartha Lakes!
Person in white sweater types on laptop while sitting on bed with pillows.
March 12, 2024
In this session you will learn about what an OHT is, who our member organizations are, and the ways we are working together to improve health outcomes for residents of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.
Person typing on a laptop while sitting on a bed, wearing a white sweater and black pants.
January 31, 2024
In this session, you will learn about the Community Paramedic Programs (CPP) in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.
Show More