Family Health Team Open Letter to Powassan Council
POWASSAN- Friday October 17, 2014 - The Powassan and Area Family Health Team (PAAFHT) is mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) to provide primary healthcare to area residents through its inter-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses and healthcare workers.
During the current municipal election campaign written material, emails and public comments from candidates at the recent candidates’ debate have contained erroneous and misleading statements that do not serve the best interests of long term healthcare in the area. As such PAAFHT has today reluctantly sent an open letter to the Mayor of Powassan, Peter McIsaac and his current council, making it public in order that voters have a clearer understanding of the issues in play as the Family Heath Team evolves.
Dr Scott Houghton, lead physician with PAAFHT said, “the suggestion made in campaign material, and reiterated at the debate last night by both the Powassan Mayor and Deputy Mayor, would lead people to believe that 100% provincial funding from the MOHLTC is available to expand the existing Powassan Medical Centre. This is simply untrue, and was reconfirmed to us as recently as October 16, 2014 by the ministry.” Houghton went on to say, “not only is there no free renovation of the current clinic available, we are unaware of any option to move into the proposed privately developed walk in clinic on Main Street at no cost to the taxpayer, as was stated in an October 6, email from Powassan Deputy Mayor Todd White to PAAFHT and election candidates”
PAAFHT has ten year funding for 50% of the lease and operating costs for a new 7,400 square foot clinic already approved by the ministry. The building has been designed with patient comfort and convenience and future doctor recruitment and retention in mind. Houghton said, “the window for retaining this funding closes on March 31, 2015. After that it is back to the drawing board with no assurances that such a good offer can be had in an era of funding cutbacks. To lose this chance to have a modern healthcare facility in Powassan will be a major setback in the quest to attract and retain new medical professionals, who in turn can handle more patients”.
The letter from PAAFHT’s Toronto lawyer calls into question some political posturing by the current council of the Municipality of Powassan, and goes as far as stating that at least one council member is in a serious conflict of interest.
PAAFHT board chair, Sheila Latour said, “we have provided the Mayor with a sworn affidavit regarding the actions of his Deputy Mayor, who has been on a crusade in the media for about a year to discredit the family health team. We simply cannot allow our community and Powassan voters to be misled any longer by hidden agendas of some who are seeking elected office, and now, having heard their campaign platforms, a public release of the letter to Council along with supporting attachments is our only recourse.”.
Quinto Annibale letter to Powassan Council Oct 17, 2014
Information about our proposed new facility project