The soft palette of wall colors, nature-inspired artwork and a rustic stone fireplace are meant to make patients feel peaceful and safe at the Norfolk Family Health Team’s new location on Robinson Street in Simcoe.
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A ribbon-cutting on Tuesday marked the official opening of the 10,000-square-foot, $6-million space, which has moved from his long-time home in Delhi.
“As we inaugurate this beautiful facility, we not only unveil a physical structure but also a symbol of our commitment to the well-being of patients in the Norfolk community,” Annette Wilson, the health team’s board chair, told a crowd gathered outside the building.
“We have so many special elements and touches that have been thoughtfully incorporated into the overall design honoring our deep rural roots and conveying the warmth of the country-community that is Norfolk.”
Executive director Robin Mackie and other staff members led tours of the facility, which is color-coded by service – baby blue for midwifery, a harvest wheat hue for a space dedicated to healthcare services for the county’s international agriculture workers.
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“We didn’t want these to look like medical offices,” said Mackie, standing in a social work room decorated with large prints of an iceberg in a royal blue ocean. “We wanted them to feel calm and safe.”
The Delhi Family Health Team was established in 2007 with a staff of six health professionals serving about 4,000 rostered patients.
By 2018, Mackie said they had outgrown the space and administrators applied for a planning grant to find a larger home. In 2023, the health team received approval and funding for the Simcoe facility.
Today, the organization has a roster of 12,000 patients served by an interdisciplinary team of about 50 that includes six family physicians, five nurse practitioners, midwives, registered nurses, social workers, dieticians, and kinesiologists who work together to provide primary care.
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The facility also includes community outreach for programs such as foot care, chronic non-cancer pain management, smoking cessation, sexual health, healthy eating, and prenatal and newborn health.
One of the health team’s priorities, said Mackie, is attracting and mentoring family doctors. Dr. Bill Thorogood, who has been with the organization since its inception, said they have been successful in working with medical students who stay on after they graduate.
“It’s no secret we need more doctors in Norfolk County,” said Thorogood.
Mackie said moving to Simcoe allows the health team to enhance services for more marginalized and vulnerable Norfolk residents, including those without a physician and/or access to healthcare services. She said close proximity to the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, located in the same building, and to Norfolk General Hospital, will strengthen their partnerships.
“It’s all about working together,” she said.
But Mackie said the health team will continue to have a presence in Delhi and Port Rowan, with satellite offices in both communities.
“They haven’t lost any doctors,” she said. “They are all committed to seeing patients where they’re at.”
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