Redefining Primary Care
The 2025 AFHTO Conference was a two-day opportunity to showcase the innovative work TVFHT staff have been leading.
From collaborative care strategies to evidence-informed approaches, the work done at TVFHT is helping to redefine what primary care can look like. This became clear throughout the conference, where fellow attendees engaged deeply with the team – asking thoughtful questions at the posters, during and after presentations. People wanted to know how these ideas could be adapted in their own communities, and that interest was both humbling and affirming.
Engaging as Leaders & Helpers
Our team’s contributions were felt in many ways throughout the conference. Conversations about Health Care Connect highlighted gaps in the system and allowed us to share practical insights.
- Amanda Walker, Mental Health & Addictions Care Manager spoke about our Collaborative Care Model and how it fills critical gaps for patients living with mental health and addictions.
- Elizabeth Smith, Interprofessional Clinical Lead, and Lisa Vreugdenhil, Director, Clinical Services shared the impact of Nurse Practitioners across 19 sites, which sparked surprise and admiration from attendees.
- Jillian Leslie, Quality Improvement – Data Analyst and Katie McDonald, Medical Directives Coordinator & Clinical Support re-framed Hospital Referral Management as a patient-centered strategy, moving beyond numbers to focus on outcomes.
- Payal Patel, Interprofessional Clinical Lead, showcased the success of academic detailing by our pharmacist team and later led a discussion on integrating Health Professional Educators into clinical teaching teams to strengthen interprofessional learning.
- Katelyn Thompson, spoke with visitors at her poster about practical solutions and the complexity of caring for a vulnerable population, underscoring the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing social determinants of health.
Each presentation and conversation created opportunities to connect, to teach, and to learn. Conference attendees from across the province sought out members of our team for insight, eager to hear more about how these approaches could work in their own settings. That level of interest reminded us that the work we all do, every day, matters.
The conference was also a chance to strengthen relationships with key partners like Ontario Health and the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT). Networking between sessions opened doors for future collaborations and reinforced the importance of working together to improve care across the sector.
The Big Picture
If there’s one message we carried home from AFHTO, it’s this: we are all teachers. To each other, to our patients, and to the broader network of Family Health Teams. Our skills and expertise are part of a collective effort to make the system better for everyone.
We are so proud to celebrate the work our dedicated team have been developing that is shaping the future of primary care. A heartfelt congratulations to all the panellists, poster presenters, and speakers. The organization was well represented by Elizabeth Smith, Lisa Vreugdenhil, Amanda Walker, Katelyn Thompson, Payal Patel, Katie McDonald, and Jillian Leslie at AFHTO Conference 2025.
We are eager to keep moving this important work forward and providing exceptional primary care for our patients.
