Greater Napanee Health Home welcomes third family doctor

August 8, 2024 News Release

Innovative health model enhances care quality and accessibility

The Greater Napanee Health Home (GNHH), launched in April through a partnership between Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC) and the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team (FLA OHT), is already transforming health-care access for the surrounding community. In just a few months, more than 500 residents have been successfully connected to primary care providers, and the Health Home welcomed three new family doctors to its team. 

Dr. Max Pang, who joins the GNHH following the recruitment of Dr. Victoria Candy in February and Dr. Giancarlo Pukas in July, is thrilled to be part of this innovative team. A graduate of the University of British Columbia with degrees in medicine and pharmacology, Dr. Pang, completed his residency in Prince George, B.C., and previously worked at the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital.

“My positive interactions with patients and the health care team in Napanee convinced me to return,” says Dr. Pang. “I’m super excited to work in the new Greater Napanee Health Home, where everyone will have access to a family doctor and health-care providers are supported in a team environment. I look forward to learning more about the Napanee community, which has already been so welcoming.”

The GNHH is pioneering collaboration between KCHC, the Family Doctors Group, the Town of Greater Napanee, and the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital (LACGH). This model of comprehensive team-based care ensures physicians and nurse practitioners are supported by a wide array of health professionals, such as physiotherapists, dietitians, nurses, respiratory therapists and mental health workers. This approach enables all providers to work to their full scope of practice and effectively meet the needs of the community.

FLA  OHT Mission
The GNHH is part of the FLA OHT’s mission to connect people who do not currently have a primary care provider to a People-Centred Health Home by focusing on rostering people within specific geographic areas one area at a time as provider capacity allows. A Health Home is a home base for easy access to all the health care and wellness services needed to achieve our best health. Much like everyone has access to a school in their community , they should have access to team based primary care.

“Our goal is to attach every person in Greater Napanee to a family doctor or nurse practitioner close to home,” says Dr. Kim Morrison, FLA OHT Executive Lead “Through partnership and collaboration, we are creating a model that not only meets community needs for accessible care but also supports health-care providers in an environment where teamwork is essential.”

LACGH Partnership
“Lennox and Addington County General Hospital is excited to partner in this innovative and aspirational initiative,” says Mike Bell, CEO of LACGH. “Acknowledging that access to a primary care provider is the foundation of an effective health-care system, we applaud the leadership and look forward to supporting this vision for years to come."

Access Clinic for people without a doctor
With approximately 5,000 of Greater Napanee’s 16,000 residents currently without a family doctor, the GNHH aims to connect all residents to comprehensive care. To support people who don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, the Health Home also operates an Access Clinic to address urgent, non-life threatening conditions, helping to reduce the strain on local emergency departments. For more information visit the KCHC website. To  book an appointment at the Access Clinic (for people with an urgent health issue who live in Greater Napanee and do not have a primary care provider) book here.

Town of Greater Napanee Support
The Town of Greater Napanee currently contributes over $300,000 annually to support the GNHH operations. “We at the Town of Greater Napanee are ecstatic about yet another physician joining the health care team in our community,” added, Terry Richardson, Mayor, Town of Greater Napanee. “The aggressive approach to primary health care this Council has taken, along with an exemplary relationship with our health-care partners, has provided a model for success many communities should strive for. We feel the goal of providing Primary Health Care to each of our residents is well within our grasp.”