Why did you join the Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team's PFAC?

I recently retired from being an active healthcare provider in the community after 52 years as a physiotherapist. I felt my experience and perspective in the field could help in the development of an effective model to improve access to healthcare and the healthcare information highway.

Due to my recent increased need to access healthcare in my community, my vision may be altered somewhat from the “other side of the gurney”. Having orthopedic surgery, contracting Covid, and exacerbating an upper GI condition all at the same time and within 5 days of my partner needing emergency medical intervention does have a revealing impact. For me it has been a “positive” experience but probably made better because it was the right treatment at the right time and made better from my background and ability to navigate the system and ask the questions.

A priority I feel for the KL-OHT is to educate our populations on the tools available to be able to navigate the system for healthcare in a way that can be accessible to all – print, electronic or personal. As well as to advocate for alternative strategies to provide care.

We need to find a way to provide frontline collaborative services in our individual communities and save the ER for more critical emergency care. We need to put more weight and effort back into Home Care services for wellness and monitoring and healthcare teaching. We need to continue advocating for increased education spaces for all medical practitioners – Doctors, RNs, NPs etc. and have money to support their work. We need to continue to provide the navigation tools and resources to our public so they can use what resources are available but are unknown. We need to use our public resources such as Seniors Centres, churches, libraries to disseminate our work. 

-Susan Ferguson

KL-OHT PFAC Member, retired Physiotherapist