Ontario invests $220M in Indigenous health care

The Ontario government has announced plans to invest more than $220 million in Indigenous health care over the next three years,in what the Liberals sayis the largest investment in Indigenous health in the province's history.

In addition to the investment, the First Nations Health Action Plan will receiveannual funding of $104.5 million.

At a press conference Wednesday in Thunder Bay, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-term care Dr. Eric Hoskins saidFirst Nations communities across the Sioux Lookout region in northwestern Ontario will benefit from the plan through an increase in physician services, with up to 10 new primary health teams promised.

The province has alsocommittedto help the WeeneebaykoArea Health Authority, which has sites in Moosonee, Moose Factory, Fort Albany and Attawapiskat,establish long term financial stability.

The program also looks to improveaccess to fresh fruits and vegetables for approximately 13,000 children in remote First Nations communities in the north, and expanddiabetes prevention and management in Indigenous communities.

While focused on northern First Nations, the plan also includes opportunities for investments in Indigenous health care across Ontario.