Ottawa, ON – Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) has received funding to continue a program that connects newborn babies without a family doctor to primary care providers, extending the initiative for another year.

The funding, provided by Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario Health Team (OHT), will allow QCH and Almonte General Hospital to continue identifying babies who leave the hospital without access to a family doctor who will provide hands-on support during the critical first 24 months of life.

Known as the Newborn Primary Care Attachment Initiative, the program was launched in January 2026 to address a growing need in the region. Each year, hundreds of newborns discharged from QCH and Almonte General Hospital leave the hospital without access to a family doctor. Families often face delays in routine immunizations and developmental screening and may turn to emergency departments for non-urgent newborn care.

The program is led by a nurse care coordinator at QCH who works directly with families, coordinates referrals, and connects family members with family practitioners and nurse practitioners in the community.

Since launching, the initiative has built a network of more than 75 primary care clinicians accepting patients and has connected more than 400 patients, including newborns and their family members, to ongoing primary care. As this program grows, we will continue to leverage our OHT and primary care networks to welcome new partners to participate in the program and to contribute to its evolution in the year ahead.

"We are thrilled to receive funding for another year so we can continue connecting newborns and families to the care they need," said Ashley Malloff, Vice President, Quality and Chief Nursing Executive at Queensway Carleton Hospital. "The program is already making a meaningful difference for families who might otherwise struggle to access primary care during one of the most important periods of a child's development. Extending this funding means we can keep giving more babies the best possible start in life."

The Newborn Primary Care Attachment Initiative is a collaborative effort involving family doctors and primary care providers, Kids Come First, Healthy Babies, Healthy Children at Ottawa Public Health, Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, Connect Well Community Health, the Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario Health Team and Almonte General Hospital.

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Media Contact

Beatrice Villadelgado

Communications Officer, External
Queensway Carleton Hospital
Communications@qch.on.ca