Press Release - January 10, 2022: Mount Forest Family Health Team Prepares for Staff Shortages
With the latest wave of COVID cases, our primary health care team is feeling the same staff shortages and workload pressures that most employers are feeling now. As the case counts increase and the Family Health Team and the doctors in Mount Forest have more staff unable to come to work, we may need to cancel services suddenly.
“Today, we are asking that patients calling for an issue only leave one message and not continue to call several times about the same issue throughout the day. We have to prioritize our work every day. We will get to you in balance with the urgency of the needs of other patients. It may take longer than usual to get back to you”, explains Suzanne Trivers, Mount Forest FHT Executive Director.
To help with information sharing, the FHT is updating the options on their phone system so that people may choose a topic and listen to a repeating message with information about that topic. Topics include information about where to get a vaccination, what to do if you have mild to moderate COVID symptoms, and when you should go to the hospital with COVID symptoms.
“We do not take the decision to cancel services lightly. We know that it has an impact on the lives of our patients when we have to delay services and we worry when we are not able to meet your expectations. We also care about our team members. We need to make sure that they stay available to provide care today and into the future. So, we must manage the pressures put upon them each day at work,” stated Dr. Alex Goytisolo, Claire Stewart Medical Clinic Physician Lead. Dr. Goytisolo went on to provide information about specific ways patients can help with workload at this difficult time.
Test Results: The team reviews all test results received. If the test needs follow up, the team will call the patient. A small number of people call several times asking if their results are now available. Each message must be listened to by a team member to ensure it is not an urgent matter. These repeated messages take valuable time that our team members could be using to deal with more urgent issues.
Medications: Please re-order your medication at least 3 business days before you get to your last pill. If we are ordering a new medication or changing a medication for you, especially if it was arranged over the phone, the communication from our office to the pharmacy will not be instant. We process dozens of prescriptions every day. Please be patient. And make sure that the pharmacy looks in their computer as well as on the fax machine. More and more we are using digital communication rather than paper.
When we cancel a visit: We do not cancel appointments without a significant reason. Our team members get sick, have family emergencies, and have emergencies with other patients come up just like anyone else does. If we can, we will have another team member keep your appointment or talk with you about ways to manage your situation while you wait for the next available appointment. We know this is frustrating and we avoid it as much as we can.
The Mount Forest Family Health Team thanks you for your patience and support as we navigate these new times together. How we provide that care is changing. Our commitment to providing quality services is not.
Media Contact
Suzanne Trivers
Executive Director
Mount Forest Family Health Team
519-321-1496