The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) recently announced that Dr. Jim Wheeler is its Head of Rural Medicine and Accessibility.
In this new and innovative role for CKHA, Wheeler will provide oversight and leadership for rural medicine; prioritizing access to high quality care for all Chatham-Kent residents.
“Dr. Wheeler has shown strong dedication to our community for many years and we are so pleased that he has taken on this very important responsibility,” said Dr. Zeke Milkovic, Chief and Program Medical Director of Family Medicine, said in a release. “He will be a great advocate for the local health-care needs of Chatham-Kent’s diverse rural communities.”
Wheeler practiced Family Medicine in Blenheim from 2001 to 2013 at which time he moved his practice to the Thamesview Centre for Family Medicine/Thamesview Family Health Team (TFHT) where he is currently practicing. He worked in CKHA’s emergency department for 15 years and provided intrapartum obstetrics for 16 years as well.
Since 2016 he has held the position of lead physician at the TFHT. Currently he practices full-time family medicine at TFHT in addition to inpatient hospital care, oncology care at CKHA and hospice care at the Chatham-Kent Hospice.
He has been an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University since 2002 and has been a Preceptor for Family Medicine Residents since that time.
As part of his role, Wheeler will co-chair CKHA’s newly formed Rural Health Advisory Committee (RHAC) which serves as a mechanism for recognition and discussion of rural health issues and opportunities at CKHA. The RHAC also fosters two-way communication between the rural communities served by CKHA and the hospitals that form the Alliance.
“This initiative will benefit our rural communities by giving them a voice and input into how we, as a hospital, are serving their needs and where gaps exist,” Wheeler said. “I am looking forward to working with our rural patients and their community representatives to identify barriers to access and to hopefully better meet their needs. Through program development and other initiatives we can work towards improving the services that are delivered to better serve everyone in Chatham Kent.”
