Provincial funding will expand access to team-based primary care in North Western Toronto

Unison Health & Community Services and Humber River Health partnership will connect more residents to ongoing, community-based care

TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unison Health & Community Services has received $3,397,500 in funding from the Government of Ontario to expand access to team-based primary care through a new partnership with Humber River Health and the Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit (FMTU). The $3.4 million investment will strengthen access to integrated, team-based primary care and help connect more North Western Toronto residents, without a family physician or nurse practitioner, to ongoing care.

Through Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan, the funding will support the addition of interprofessional care providers to serve more patients across the two organizations. A portion of the funding will support expanded access to team-based primary care at Schulich FMTU. The partnership will also establish Unison as a teaching site for the Schulich FMTU at Hennick Humber Hospital, creating new opportunities to train future family physicians in community-based care.

“Unison has a long history of providing accessible, culturally responsive care to communities facing barriers to health and social services,” said Michelle Joseph, CEO of Unison Health & Community Services. “This partnership allows us to combine our community-based approach with the Schulich FMTU’s clinical and teaching expertise. Together, we will reach residents where they are, connect more people to a trusted primary care team and provide care that reflects the languages, cultures and lived experiences of the communities we serve.”

North Western Toronto has significant unmet primary care needs, often described as a “primary care desert”, with more than 50,000 residents considered unattached or uncertainly attached to a regular primary care provider. The need is especially significant in a diverse and growing community where 60 per cent of residents identify as racialized, 54 per cent are immigrants, and the population of seniors over the age of 80 - the largest in Ontario - is expected to double by 2036. Many residents experience geographic, linguistic, mobility, and financial barriers that can make accessing care more difficult.

The partnership will create a coordinated network of eight clinic locations across North Western Toronto and offer flexible models of care, including in-person and virtual appointments, same-day urgent care, evening and weekend services, and outreach in community settings. Patients will be connected through several pathways, including Health Care Connect, hospital referrals, self-referrals, and community outreach. This work will be supported by the North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team and Primary Care Network, which aim to enable integrated care for North Western Toronto residents.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Government of Ontario for investing in a solution that addresses both immediate primary care needs and the long-term sustainability of our healthcare system,” said Barbara Collins, President and CEO of Humber River Health. “Humber River Health established the Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit to help address a critical gap in access to primary care across North Western Toronto while training more providers in the communities they will ultimately serve. Through our partnership with Unison Health & Community Services, we are expanding access to high-quality, team-based care and helping ensure more residents can connect with the primary care services they need.”

The Schulich FMTU is a core teaching site affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine and a landmark investment in North Western Toronto’s primary care future. Created to address a critical shortage of primary care providers in a community of more than 850,000 people, the unit reflects Humber River Health’s vision of expanding access to care closer to home. Its opening, made possible by the generosity of The Schulich Foundation and the invaluable support of The Slaight Family Foundation, marked a pivotal step in addressing the community’s healthcare access challenges. The unit provides comprehensive primary care while preparing family medicine residents, medical students and cross-disciplinary learners to address health inequities, chronic disease and the social factors that influence health. Since welcoming its first four family medicine residents in 2023, the program has grown steadily and will reach its full capacity of 18 residents in 2026.

“I am very proud to champion our state-of-the-art first digital hospital, Hennick Humber Hospital, and acknowledge them as healthcare innovators and leaders who provide gold star standard of care to our community,” said the Hon. Michael S. Kerzner, MPP for York Centre. “Through a new partnership with the Ontario government, Unison Health & Community Services, Hennick Humber Hospital and the Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit, thousands of residents in York Centre will have access to a primary care physician or nurse practitioner.”

“Every family deserves access to high-quality primary care close to home. For residents in York South—Weston and across North Western Toronto, our government’s $3,397,500 investment will expand team-based primary care, connect more people to the services they need, and strengthen access across eight clinic locations,” said Mohamed Firin, MPP for York South—Weston. “Through this partnership with Unison Health & Community Services, Humber River Health and the Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit, we are building a stronger, more connected healthcare system that supports patients today and prepares for the needs of tomorrow.”

By expanding the Schulich FMTU and establishing a teaching site with Unison Health & Community Services, the partnership will address immediate gaps in access while creating a sustainable pipeline of primary care providers with experience serving the diverse communities of North Western Toronto.

About Humber River Health

Humber River Health is a multi-site organization serving a population of more than 850,000 people in the northwest Greater Toronto Area. The organization is a member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) and operates Hennick Humber Hospital, along with its Finch and Church campuses, supported by more than 4,000 employees, approximately 700 physicians, and over 1,000 volunteers.

Hennick Humber Hospital is North America’s first fully digital hospital. With its use of robotics and cutting-edge technology, patients undergo less pain, fewer risks of complications, and less time in the hospital. A custom combination of advanced technology and clinical expertise underpins a reimagined model of care focused on safety, efficiency, and improved patient outcomes. Hennick Humber Hospital’s digital infrastructure includes automated laboratory services, robotics for sorting, mixing, and delivering medications, electronic health records, Command Centre, computerized physician order entry, patient bedside computer terminals, and tracking systems for patients undergoing surgery that provides updates to families through their cellphones. The implementation of these technological and digital solutions has enabled Hennick Humber Hospital to automate information, enhance communication and increase efficiency, as well as provide a connected experience for patients, staff and families.

This transformation and organizational culture have been possible thanks to the dedication and support of the organization’s staff, physicians, and volunteers. Together, they remain grounded in a shared belief: that together, we can transform the hospital where we work, the community where we live, and the broader healthcare landscape. With exceptional teams driving innovation, strong resolve, and a commitment to excellence, Humber River Health will continue to deliver Tomorrow’s Healthcare, Today.

Learn more at: www.hrh.ca.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Joe Gorman
Humber River Health
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
jgorman@hrh.ca

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at 

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf5fa379-1263-4cd2-89df-100637c5aba9

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Announcing Expanded Access to Primary Care

Barbara Collins, Michelle Joseph, Hon. Michael S. Kerzner, MPP for York Centre; and Mohamed Firin, MPP for York South—Weston, speak at the announcement of a $3.4 million provincial investment to expand team-based primary care in North Western Toronto.

Celebrating a New Primary Care Partnership

The Honourable Michael S. Kerzner, Mohamed Firin, healthcare leaders, Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit residents, and community partners celebrate a new partnership that will expand access to team-based primary care across North Western Toronto.