Close to 10,000 Peterborough Residents Connected to Primary Care as Local Waitlist Milestone Reached

By Scott Arnold

A coordinated effort across Peterborough City and County has cleared the provincial Health Care Connect waitlist for 9,473 local residents who had been waiting for primary care since before January 1st, 2025.

Peterborough Ontario Health Team (POHT), in partnership with local primary care professionals and health system partners, has reached an important milestone in improving access to primary care across Peterborough City and County (photo by scott arnold)

The milestone was announced Wednesday by the Peterborough Ontario Health Team, which worked with local family doctors, nurse practitioners, primary care organizations and other health care providers to connect residents with ongoing care.

The work involved the Peterborough Family Health Team, Peterborough Community Health Centre, Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Victorian Order of Nurses Nurse Practitioner Clinic in Keene, community family doctors, nurse practitioners, interprofessional health care providers and Health Care Connect Care Connectors.

Some residents had been waiting more than four years for a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

“Connecting thousands of residents to primary care across Peterborough City and County is a monumental achievement for our region,” said Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith.

The local progress is part of Ontario’s broader Primary Care Action Plan, which aims to connect every resident in the province with a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team by 2029.

While the priority waitlist has now been cleared, the need for primary care has not disappeared.

Peterborough City and County residents who still do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner are encouraged to continue registering with Health Care Connect. Registration is available online through the provincial program or by calling 8-1-1.

Locally, residents without a family doctor or nurse practitioner can also access the Peterborough Family Health Team’s Connect Clinic. Intake appointments can be booked online or by calling 705-651-4866.

The Peterborough Ontario Health Team says the milestone represents a significant step toward making ongoing primary care more accessible closer to home.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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