Who we serve
This area is composed of vibrant urban cities, many small towns, picturesque villages along Lake Ontario and many rural and remote areas – yet many health and wellness challenges exist:
- We are older than the rest of the province. One in four people is older than 53.
- We have a total population of about 220,000 where one in eight or over 20,000 people do not have a primary care provider. This puts more pressure on emergency departments and hospitals.
- Hospitals in the region are experiencing severe shortages of health-care workers and longer wait times have become normal.
- Mental health and addiction needs in this region are higher than the provincial average.
- The regional Indigenous population is higher at 3.7 per cent compared to the rest of the province at 2.8 per cent.