Meet our Physician Partners
Working Together for the Health of our Community
Dr. Jennifer Young,
Member of the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team Quality Improvement Team
Dr. Jennifer Young is a family physician working with South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team partners, the Georgian Bay Family Health Team (GBFHT) and Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH). In addition to her focus on seeing patients in the office and their homes, she attends to her patients and low-risk obstetrics at the hospital. She is also the past president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
Dr. Young has been practicing in Collingwood since 1999. She says she loves working in this community because of the diversity of work, her colleagues and of course, her patients.
Ensuring Quality of Care in Digital Health
Read Dr. Young’s Thoughts on Quality, Connected Care
Quality Care in South Georgian Bay
Part of Dr. Young’s work with the South Georgian Bay Ontario Health Team involves quality initiatives which are meant to improve someone’s experience as they access health and social service care in South Georgian Bay. This means understanding what someone’s health care journey looks like including figuring out what went well and how it could be improved.
What I would really like to share with our community is that we are really focusing on looking at ways that we can connect the different pieces of the health care system together. We want to ensure that everyone in South Georgian Bay has access to team-based supports that connects them to other parts of the system that they may need to access, such as mental health services.
Best Practices in Virtual Care
Dr. Young is currently working on a quality improvement project which promotes best practices related to providing virtual care. This focus is the result of the need to see patients in a different way as a result of the pandemic as well as providing quality care to patients who are homebound.
The continuity of care and relationships we have with our patients keeps them out of hospitals, delivers the best health outcomes, and provides better patient experiences. It is well known that innovative and effective health systems are ones that invest in a robust primary care sector, anchored by family physician leadership.
I feel very connected to my specialist colleagues and having a connection between the hospital and our office medical records allows us to understand patients’ health better. I have access to a team of counsellors and health care providers that help with mental health, diabetes and chronic inflammatory lung disease (COPD) to name a few. It’s really a great collaborative environment where patients come first.
Booking a Virtual Visit
Many doctors are now offering virtual care
Many doctors in South Georgian Bay are now offering virtual visits. Patients can all request to be seen virtually and many can now book online for their doctor.
If your doctor doesn’t yet offer online bookings, stay tuned, then are in the process of training and onboarding.
Find a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner
A family doctor or nurse practitioner is your primary health care provider – meaning they are the person you make an appointment with when you have a new, non-emergency health concern. You can learn more about their services below.