The Ontario government is investing more than $5.2 million to expand access to primary care in Oxford County as part of its Primary Care Action Plan, which aims to connect every Ontario resident with a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
The province announced $5,220,700 in funding to connect up to 13,020 Oxford County residents with a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team.
The Thames Valley Family Health Team led the successful funding application. The investment will support the expansion of Thames Valley Family Health Team services across Oxford County, expand the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, and establish a new Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic in Tillsonburg.
Local partners will develop a process for accepting new patients and will share details with the community once it is in place.
The funding is part of the latest round of investments under Ontario's Primary Care Action Plan. Province-wide, all 124 successful teams are expected to connect an additional 500,000 people to primary care. Each team has developed a plan to attach a significant number of residents who currently do not have a primary care provider, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
Through the 2026 Ontario Budget, the province is increasing total funding for the Primary Care Action Plan to $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.
The province also says it has already surpassed its 2025-26 target under the plan. As of January 1, 2026, Ontario had connected 330,000 people with a primary care provider during the 2025-26 fiscal year, exceeding its goal of 300,000 by more than 30,000 with three months remaining.
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"Access to primary care is the foundation of a strong and reliable health care system. This investment will help connect more than 13,000 residents to the care they need, when and where they need it," said Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman. "By strengthening primary care, we are not only helping people stay healthier but also reducing pressure on emergency departments and hospitals. This is an important step toward building a more connected, accessible, and patient-focused health care system for families across Oxford County."
"We are honoured to partner with the Oxford Ontario Health Team, the Oxford Primary Care Network, and the Government of Ontario, to strengthen the local primary care system and expand access to team-based primary health care in Oxford County," said Mike McMahon, CEO of Thames Valley Family Health Team. "With this funding, we commit to build and grow health care teams across the county. Our goal is to improve access to local health care, ensure continuity of care, and reduce the strain on the health system. Together, we hope to help everyone in our communities live healthier lives."
"This investment is a significant step forward for primary care in Oxford County. It will allow the NPLC to expand access in Ingersoll and bring a new Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic to Tillsonburg, connecting more people to timely, team-based care close to home," said Stephanie Nevins, Executive Director of the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. "We're proud to work alongside our community and system partners to support the growing needs of our population, and we're grateful for the province's support in making this vision a reality."
"Improving access to primary care has been a shared priority for Oxford Ontario Health Team partners over the past few years," said Teresa Martins, Executive Director of the Oxford Ontario Health Team. "By coming together around a common agenda, organizations across our community have already made progress in strengthening primary care access. This new funding reflects the strength of our collaboration and will help ensure our efforts are sustainable while connecting even more residents to ongoing care."
"Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones. "By connecting more families to care in Oxford, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029."
