Niagara region hospitals aim for every newborn and child without a family doctor to go home with one

Newborns in Niagara region without access to a family doctor will be connected to those accepting patients through a new hospital program. 

Called a "pediatric pathway," Niagara Health said it also created the program to help children who are hospitalized, and those with complex care needs, access primary care. 

When many infants and kids, under 18-years-old, leave the hospital, they don't have a family doctor to support them, said Niagara Health in a news release Tuesday. 

Under the new program, they and their parents or guardians will be provided with information about physicians and community health centres where they can become patients. And for children with complex care needs, pediatricians at the hospital will work closely with the family physician to continue providing support.

"This pathway is about making sure no child falls through the cracks," said Dr. Madan Mohan Roy, chief of pediatrics at Niagara Health, in the statement. 

"Our goal is to ensure that every pediatric patient, regardless of their situation, has access to continuous, community-based care after they are discharged."

Family doctor shortage linked to measles outbreak

Children with a family doctor have better access to vaccines, developmental monitor, early detection of health concerns and a contact to support them with everyday health needs, Niagara Health said. It also helps families avoid "unnecessary hospital visits." 

About 2.5 million people in Ontario do not have a family doctor, including roughly 360,000 children according to research in 2024 and 2023, respectively, by the Ontario College of Family Physicians. 

If a baby is born to parents with a family doctor, he or she could become that doctor's patient. But if the parents don't have a family doctor, the baby could also be without.

The family doctor shortage has contributed to the measles outbreak in Ontario, with many cases in the Grand Erie region, according to local experts. The region includes the City of Brantford and counties of Haldimand, Norfolk and Brant. 

"It's availability. It's the family doctor crisis. It's the not being able to get vaccines at a time that works with their work schedule," Dawn Bowdish, a professor of medicine at McMaster University, told CBC's The Current in March. 

"The Canadian situation is one in which outright refusal is actually comparatively rare. It's access and availability and convenience that tend to be the drivers of this fallen vaccination rates." 

Doctors accepting new patients

There are currently more than 30 family doctors in the Niagara region accepting new patients, said Dr. Jennifer Robert, chief of primary care, said in the news release. 

"That's an important opportunity many may not be aware of," she said. "By connecting community members with these providers, we're not only improving individual health outcomes — we're supporting a stronger, more connected healthcare system."

Physicians who accept new patients through the new hospital program so far include four in St. Catharines, three in Welland and one in Fort Erie, as well as through community health centres across the Niagara region. 

Niagara Health said it is looking to create a similar program for adults.