The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr il 18 ,2 01 9 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We for verification purposes. We f reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL We're losing the fight against measles. In this dayWe're losing the fight against measles. In this dayW and age, that's an amazing statement. Three years ago we talked about them being almost eradicated. Now we're losing the battle. Last week Ottawa reported measles cases. There have been outbreaks in British Columbia, in several U.S. states and in Europe. In New York City, a health emergency has been declared. And the worst part is that we know exactly why. A relatively small group of so-called anti-vaxxers is mak- ing effective use of - what else - social media to spread misinformation, which is leading to more and more parents not getting their kids vaccinated, and to more adults choosing not to be revaccinated. A recent report from the Toronto Star shows that nearly 30 per cent of seven-year-old students in the Greater Toronto Area aren't getting their shots. A vac- cination rate of 90 to 95 per cent is needed to afford herd immunity, which is required to prevent out- breaks. Ontario is very far from that target. Actions are being taken. The Ontario Medical Asso- ciation has launched a public awareness campaign, using traditional and non-traditional media, specifical- ly taking at aim of some of the most common myths about vaccines. Myths that suggest measles and similar diseases aren't really that dangerous. The fact is that complica- tions happen in about 10 per cent of cases. For every 1,000 cases, one or two victims will die. Then there's the widely-debunked claim that the measles vaccine causes autism. It doesn't. There is no scientific evi- dence to support that claim. Large studies around the world have shown there is no link, and yet the life- threatening myth survives. At this point, all the good work being done to edu- cate the public isn't stopping the new spread of mea- sles. It may be time for tougher medicine. There are two legal exemptions for not vaccinating kids. One is a medical exemption, which obviously must remain available. Another is non-medical exemp- tions, where parents must sign an affidavit saying vaccines conflict with their "sincerely held convic- tions." U.S. states like California, Mississippi and West Virginia have ended non-medical exemptions. And their vaccination rates have dramatically increased. Perhaps it's time Ontario and other Canadian provinc- es did the same thing. ONTARIO MUST TAKE STEPS TO HIT VACCINATION TARGETS On April 3, the Ministry of Health announced an open call for applications for Ontario Health Teams. for Ontario Health Teams. f Ontario Health Teams, or OHTs, are a fundamen- tally different way of deliv- ering health care to people. Patients will belong to a team that manages every- thing from the way they see their family doctor to hospi- talizations to home care to nursing homes - and every- thing in between. The fact that our health- care system needs to change is no surprise to anyone. We all know someone on a wait- list for a family doctor. Or a wait-list for a specialist. Or for surgery. Or for homefor surgery. Or for homef care or a nursing home bed. What will happen as the population ages and be- comes more complex? Right now, one in six Ontarians are seniors; in less than 20 years, it will be one in four. Each year, more Ontarians have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. All this adds up to needing more medical care. We must be ready.We must be ready.W So, we need to rethink the way our health-care sys- tem takes care of patients. Because the way it's going right now isn't working very well. OHTs will take care of a defined group of patients, providing them the full con- tinuum of care and making sure that the right piece falls into place at the rightfalls into place at the rightf time for each patient. Health-care information will be shared across pro- viders in primary care, hos- pital-based care and com- munity care. Performance will be measured and re- ported. Technology and vir- tual care will take centre stage. And funding for all of this will come in one big en- velope, incentivizing effi- ciency, integration, cost- consciousness and quality of care. Models like the OHTs have existed, some of them successfully, in the United States, United Kingdom, France and other European countries. Ontario is now joining the party. Lessons learned from those other countries show that details matter. Physi- cian leadership is an essen- tial ingredient. Team-based primary care is the bedrock of OHTs. Patient experience matters, as do outcomes and provider experience. We must measure what weWe must measure what weW value, not value what's easy to measure. Laws must pro- tect health information while allowing responsible sharing in the circle of care. Digital technology should enable better care, not be- come a barrier that blocks the humanity in medicine. When it works, it works really well. And it's past time for a real change. But like I said, details matter. Nadia Alam is a George- town physician and presi- dent of the Ontario Medical Association. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. RETHINKING OUR HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM IN LESS THAN 20 YEARS, 1 IN 4 ONTARIANS WILL BE SENIORS, WRITES NADIA ALAM NADIA ALAM Column