Health Homes making an impact: How Loyalist Family Health Team is increasing access and equity in reproductive health

December 2, 2025.

When Dr. Anna Chavlovski and Dr. Susanne Naoum, family physicians at the Loyalist Family Health Team (LFHT) noticed long wait times and limited access to contraception procedures in Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, they decided to act. Together, they established a Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Clinic at LFHT to make reproductive health care more accessible, equitable, and comfortable for their patients.

This innovative approach to care—developed in response to community needs—aligns directly with the Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Ontario Health Team’s (FLA OHT) vision of expanding Health Home capacity, ensuring that more people across the region can access coordinated, person-centred care close to home. As an FLA OHT primary care partner, LFHT’s initiative is a strong example of that vision in action.

Between June 2024 and June 2025, the two physicians performed 44 LARC procedures—including 35 intrauterine devices (IUDs) and 9 contraceptive implants—for patients across all eight physicians at the clinic. This means that any LFHT patient, not just those rostered to Dr. Chavlovski or Dr. Naoum, can now access timely, high-quality reproductive care within their own Health Home or primary care team.

“In our region, it can be hard for people to get their contraceptive needs met,” explains Dr. Naoum. “Access to specialists is limited, and waitlists are often long. Our goal was to make reproductive health care more equitable and accessible—so all LFHT patients who need it, can get it.”

LARC methods are among the most effective forms of birth control and can last several years. But patients often face long waits for these procedures. At LFHT, the difference the clinic is making is clear: the average wait time for a procedure at the LFHT LARC Clinic is just 34 days, compared to potentially months for a hospital-based appointment. For implant procedures, the wait is even shorter—23 days on average. “Most people don’t want to go to the hospital for something like this,” says Dr. Chavlovski. “Being able to access it right here, with their own primary-care team, is less intimidating and much more comfortable for patients.”

The clinic has evolved significantly since it began. What started informally has become a structured service with standardized consent and referral forms, clear patient information, and dedicated clinic time. Over time, Dr. Chavlovski and Dr. Naoum have also adapted their care approach to each patient’s needs—offering pain control options, extra support, or even snacks when needed. “Every patient responds differently,” says Dr. Naoum. “We’ve learned to listen, to adjust, and to meet people where they are. That’s part of what makes this kind of care so personal—and why it belongs in primary care.”

The clinic also plays an important role in training the next generation of providers. Seven procedures this year have provided learning opportunities for medical students and family medicine residents. “I believe this is a basic skill that every primary care provider should have,” says Dr. Chavlovski. “But we didn’t get much hands-on training during residency, so now that we can, we’re offering it—to help expand capacity across the system.”

Other family health teams and clinics in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington —such as Midtown Kingston Health Home, Frontenac Doctors, and Greenwood Medical Centre—also offer LARC services. Dr. Chavlovski and Dr. Naoum see this growing network as a strength. They hope to collaborate with other clinics, sharing referral tools, materials, and training resources to expand access even further. “We’d love to see more of us come together—those doing this work—to share knowledge, templates, and training opportunities,” says Dr. Chavlovski. “It would strengthen care across all Health Homes and neighbourhoods.”

The impact extends beyond convenience. By performing these procedures in primary care rather than in a hospital setting, the clinic saves the health system about $62 per procedure, amounting to over $2,700 in savings this past year alone.

For the FLA OHT, initiatives like the LFHT LARC Clinic show what expanding Health Home capacity looks like in action: care that’s more comprehensive, more coordinated, and more equitable—delivered close to home by trusted providers.