Did you know we have more than 60 family doctors delivering care at St. Joe’s and hundreds of family doctors affiliated with our hospital? St. Joe’s family doctors play an important role in patient care in a number of different programs, including Women’s and Infants, Mental Health and Addictions, Alternate Level of Care (ALC) and Complex Care, and Palliative Care. They also played a leadership role in the pandemic response, including serving in our testing centres and vaccine clinics.

On World Family Doctor Day, we recognize and celebrate our family physicians for the personal, comprehensive and accessible care they provide patients throughout all stages of their lives.

Here’s what a few St. Joe’s Heads of Service shared about the role of family medicine in ALC and Complex Care, Newborn Care, Obstetrics, Substance Use Service and Palliative Care:

Dr. Bryan Alton, Head of Service, ALC and Complex Care (pictured in centre, with his team) 

“Family medicine plays a pivotal role in the post-acute care program at St. Joe’s with responsibility for 156 beds. We bring strong communication skills and a holistic approach to our patients working as a member of our multidisciplinary teams. The most rewarding part of our jobs is working with some of the most frail, complex, and vulnerable patients to improve their quality of life and work towards their return to their home environment.”  

Dr. Tanya Grieci, Head of Service, Newborn Care

“We are a group of 12 family physicians who care for a large portion of the new babies born at St. Joe’s.  It is an honor for our team to be part of such a special time in many families' lives.  We are in a unique position as family physicians as we are experienced in addressing the needs of our patients when they are admitted to hospital, but we also address the myriad of circumstances and realities that exist once they are discharged into the community. We can help navigate and advocate for their needs both in and out of the hospital.”

Dr. Suzanne Turner, Head of Service, Family Medicine Obstetrics

“Family medicine obstetrics provide continuity of care from the community to the hospital and back for people with low-risk pregnancies and their babies.  There is nothing better than following a patient from my family practice, through delivery and taking care of the entire family after delivery (including the parents and children). I love when medical students start their medical histories with a pregnancy/delivery history, and I can stop them and tell them with pride, ‘I remember, I was there for the pregnancy and beyond.’

We also have a close partnership with St. Joe’s substance use service, which allows us to care for complex pregnant patients who use substances and their newborns.  The iPROSPR (inpatient program for substance uses in pregnancy) allows patients who are pregnant and using substances to be admitted to hospital for rapid stabilization of their medical conditions. Together the two services employ a patient-centred approach to ensure that the psychosocial and medical needs of the patients are met.”

Dr. Anne Boyle, Head of Service, Palliative Care

“Family physicians are the core of palliative care, and this care is supported by strong, caring, hardworking family physicians in the hospital and in the community. Family physicians intimately understand the words of Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern palliative care movement, ‘You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.’”