Heart Failure and COPD - And Living Well
The Frontenac Lennox and Addington Family Health Organisation (FLA OHT) has been under construction and development for 15 years.
It does not have a high public profile because it is a co-ordinating body for health care providers of various kinds within the City of Kingston, and the Counties of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington.
It has an ambitious mission, however. One of its initial goals is to ensure that all of the 200,000 or so people who live in the diverse geographical region have access to primary care, through a doctor or nurse practitioner led clinic. But is also has a broader goal, to develop a “health home” for every family in the large region.
Dr. Kim Morrison is a family doctor in Napanee and Chief of Staff at Lennox and Addington County Hospital. She is also the Executive Lead for the FLA OHT. She describes a Health Home as “that core of providers and services close to them. We realise that people and their families deliver the vast majority of their own care. That next ring of services brings together primary are providers, family doctors, nurse pratitioners, traditional healers, nurses, other allied health professionals, to help promote people's health … and then to provide the preventative care, the acute care, the the beginnigs of chronic disease management, to keep them well, in their health home.”
For this effort, the FLA OHT has brought 300 partners together, including 160 family physicans, the local hospitals, multiple community agencies, and home care, and other providers of services in the community, “to try and make a real difference in how people receive care.”
In terms of big picture projects, FLA OHT has been working on the primary care issue in the region. The received provincial funding for a project in Kingston which has been able to connect 3,500 patients to primary care since last summer, she said, and are waiting to hear back from the Province about a new funding application they submitted last fall, which is designed to connect a further 7,500 people to primary, this time including the rural areas in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington.
In an interview with the News this week, Morrison said that the efforts of FLA OHT extend beyond a 'find a doc or nurse practitioner focus'. She cited the Verona Clinic, which she described as a “very large practice” for Doctor Gibbens. In order to support that clinic in its current form, she talked about digital supports, and allied health care supports to make the staff at the busy clinic as efficient as possible in order to handle the load at this time.
This month, the FLA OHT is moving into a more public role, by sponsoring an in-person public event, “Living Well with COPD and Heart Failure” in Kingston on April 22, at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, 390 King St W.
The session runs from 5:30-8pm and is free, but registration is required (see below)
Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease (COPD) reverse to lung diseases which reduce lung capacity, such as Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis. The impact of COPD on the ability of the lungs to function properly is what causes symptoms such as trouble breathing, a persistent cough, and wheezing.
Heart Failure is a condition where the heart does not pump as well as it should. It also causes breathing problems because it can causs a fluid build up in the lungs.
The two conditions are distinct but related in a number of ways, and are associated with similar causes, including a history of smoking.
“We have some pretty good data on increased incidents of people who live with COPD and heart failure in rural areas, including Frontenac and Lennox and Addington,” said Doctor Morrison.
Part of this is the demographics skew older in rural areas, and COPD and Heart Failure are more common as people age. Also, lifestyle factors such as smoking are a factor, as tobacco use a rural Ontarians and are higher than for urban Ontarians, according to a large study conducted by Cancer Care Ontario.
That is why, even though the 'Living Well' event is taking place in Kingston, the FLA OHT is promoting it heavily to rural Frontenac and Lennox and Addington residents.
“We have let all of our rural partners know about it, and are hoping they will tell their clients and patients,” said Doctor Morrison, “but we are also going directly to the public, so anyone who is living with or is close to someone living with these conditions is very much welcome to come.
The event is focussed practical strategies and will feature a broad range of perspectives/ many perspectives, including:
Among the presenters, will with be Dr. Almufleh, a Cardiologist and physician specialist lead for the Chronic Heart Failure Integrated Care Pathway, and Dr. Fitzpatrick, the Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Chief of Staff and Executive Vice-President of Medical and Academic Affairs, and Respirologist lead for the COPD Integrated Care Pathway.
Over 20 community programs and local service providers will also be present to share resources and supports, including community paramedicine, oxygen suppliers, transportation services, community care, and chronic disease education and fitness program.
One of the focusses, both of the 'Living Well' and the FLA OHT generally, is to connect patients with suports close to home, in or near their own communities, including rural communities.
To register, go to Eventbrite.ca and type “Living Well With Heart Failure and COPD” in the search bar to bring the event to the top of the page.
