🚶Meet on the indoor track for wellness tips and a warm up, then walk with us at your own pace🚶

🕒 When: Tuesday mornings from 10:30am-11:30am from July 8, 2025 - August 26, 2025.

📍 Where: Sun Life Indoor Walking Track at the myFM Centre, (1 Ma-te-Way Park Dr, Renfrew).

✅ FREE and open to all. Just show up!

We are committed to promoting privacy and protecting the confidentiality of the health information we hold about you.

For our full privacy policy and privacy breach management procedure, click here.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about our privacy practices.

You can contact our Privacy Officer at:

Kate Jones

kjones@arfht.ca

613-554-9551

The Ancient Rivers Family Health Team is committed to improving access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require a specific accommodation during the application, interview, or recruitment stage, please contact Kate Jones by phone at 613-554-9551 ext101 or by email at info@arfht.ca noting "Accessibility Inquiry" in the subject line, for appropriate accommodations to be made.

We are stilll looking to fill some positions on our Team.  Come join us at this exciting time as we build our New FHT!

Current Vacancies:

- Administrative Job Postings -

Board of Directors Community Member

Board of Directors FHO Member

- Clinical Job Postings -

Nurse Practitioner (FT/PT)

Contact
Ancient Rivers Family Health Team

Email: reception@arfht.ca
Phone: (613) 554-9551 
Toll-Free: 1 (866) 972-5549
Fax: (613) 655-2573

Our current hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm

Address/Location

100 Health Village Lane, Renfrew ON K7V 0C3

At Ancient Rivers Family Health Team, your experience matters.

We invite you to share your thoughts about the care you received, whether it’s recognizing a team member who made a difference or suggesting ways we can improve. Your feedback helps us grow, encourages our team, and helps us ensure we are providing the best possible care to our community.

To share feedback, please email: info@arfht.ca.

Note: Please do not send personal health information to this address. Questions about your health should be shared with your healthcare provider.

If you would like to file a complaint to ARFHT, please review our complaint procedure and submit a completed complaint form either in person, by mail, or by email to:

The Executive Director Ancient Rivers Family Health Team
100 Health Village Lane, Suite 101B
Renfrew, Ontario
K7V 0C3
info@arfht.ca

• Breastfeeding Support (*)
• Kinesiology Services
• Mental health Services
• Nurse Services (*)
• Nutrition Counselling
• Respiratory Therapy (*)
• Suture/Staple Removal (*)
• Unattached Cervical Cancer Screening (paps) (*)

(*) – programs and services with a star beside them are open to Ontarians living in the Renfrew and Calabogie region, free of charge. You do not need a family doctor to access these services.

Call our office to ask about the following:

• Ear flushing
• Injections (B12, certain medications etc)
• Staple/suture removal
• Tb testing
• Vaccines (routine vaccinations, shingles, pneumonia, flu etc - no travel vaccines).

*THIS SERVICE IS FOR PATIENTS WITH A FAMILY DOCTOR IN OUR GROUP – if your doctor is listed on our team page, they are part of our group*

After hours clinics offer limited walk-in and pre-scheduled appointments to patients of our doctor group for urgent issues.

Walk-in slots are limited and we do recommend patients arrive at 5 pm if they are hoping to secure a walk-in appointment.

Patients will be seen in order of booking. Walk-ins are typically seen later in the clinic and will be given the option of waiting or leaving and returning at the scheduled time.

Programming includes:

• Assessment
• Spirometry (breathing test)
• Education
• Developing a client-centered action plan
• Follow-up care for clients with chronic lung disease (COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis)

When you are referred to the lung health program, you will be seen by a Registered Respiratory Therapist and/or Certified Respiratory Educator (CRE).

Together, they will work with you to create a plan to help you manage your symptoms.

Ask your physician if you would like to be referred to the lung health program.

Alternatively, if you would like to self-refer, you can contact ConnectWell at 613-259-2182 x 2324

Additional Resources:

Lung Health Facebook

ConnectWell Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Youtube

Lung Health Toolkit

Living Well with COPD

Living Well with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Lung Health Foundation

A Family Health Team is a collaborative model of primary care that centers on the patient. By bringing together a variety of healthcare professionals, we ensure you receive the highest standard of care through health promotion, disease prevention, chronic disease management, and a wide range of primary care services. Working alongside your family physician, our team of Allied Health Professionals support your well-being and deliver the care you need, when you need it.

Ancient Rivers Family Health Team formed in July 2024 and is affiliated with the Ancient Rivers Family Health Organization. The Ancient Rivers Family Health Organization includes Family Physicians from Calabogie Medical Centre, Renfrew Health Village, Renfrew Medical Associates, and Renfrew Medical Group. Together, we currently serve approximately 13,500 patients in the Renfrew and Calabogie regions.

Our Clinical Team Includes:

Nurse Practitioners | Currently Vacant

Registered Practical Nurses | Megan Lavigueur

Dietitian | Morag Townsend

Kinesiologist | John Buffam

Mental Health Workers | Casey Mosco, Kristie Goulet

Respiratory Therapists | Anita Stitt, Maggie McGrath 

Our Admin Team Includes:

Executive Director | Kate Jones

Medical Receptionists | Layla, Pepper

Our Lead Physician is Dr. Candice Cybulskie.

Our Affiliated Family Physicians Include:

Calabogie Medical Centre
Address: 1101 Francis St, Calabogie ON K0J 1H0

Phone: 613-752-2323

Dr. Tara Avelino

Dr. Benjamin Blaine

Dr. Sarah Penney

Renfrew Health Village 
Address: 100 Health Village Lane, Suite 101, Renfrew ON K7V 0C3

Phone: 613-432-2222

Dr. Candice Cybulskie (online booking available here)

Dr. Amanda Low (online booking available here)

Dr. Johnny Mendoza (online booking available here)

Dr. Corey Nixon (online booking available here)

Renfrew Medical Associates 
Address: 510 Raglan St No, Renfrew ON K7V 1P5

Phone: 613-433-5712

Dr. Jessica Bodig (online booking available here)

Dr. Allison Clarke (online booking availabe here)

Dr. Andrea Di Paolo (online booking availabe here)

Dr. Philippe Pinard (online booking available here)

Renfrew Medical Group 
Address: 510 Raglan St No, Renfrew ON K7V 1P5

Phone: 613-433-9152

Dr. Jennifer Arcand (online booking available here)

Dr. Brianne Clouthier (online booking available here)

Dr. Stephanie Langlois (online booking available here)

Dr. Steve Radke

Dr. Angela Varrin (online booking available here)

Dr. Noreen Wang (online booking available here)

Dr. Saeed Taghavifar 
Address: 100 Health Village Lane, Suite 101B, Renfrew ON K7V 0C3 (Within Ancient Rivers Family Health Team Office) 

Phone: 613-554-9551 or 1-866-972-5549

Kinesiologists can help with:

• Balance, Falls Prevention
• Exercise Prescription and Goal Setting to Prevent & Manage Chronic Conditions (including but not limited to): Heart Disease, Diabetes, Neurological Conditions, Chronic Pain, Mental Health 
• General Exercise Prescription & Goal Setting  
• Health Promotion and Education 
• Lifestyle Intervention and Weight Management  
• Injury Prevention, Treatment and Physical Rehabilitation 
• And more!

Kinesiology services at Ancient Rivers FHT are prioritized for clients who do not have access to extended health benefits and do not have access to publicly funded services through an alternate organization.

Kinesiology services are offered free of charge to patients of the FHT and affiliated physicians. To request an appointment, speak with your healthcare provider for a referral.

Breastfeeding can be challenging and does not come easily for every new parent. It can also be a wonderful bonding experience with your baby.

At ARFHT, our nursing staff offer free breastfeeding support for parents who may have questions or who are looking for assistance. From proper positioning to latching and ensuring your baby is getting enough breastmilk, we provide a calm, welcoming atmosphere to help give you and your baby a healthy start.

Please contact us at 1-866-972-5549 to book an appointment! No physician or midwife referral is required.

This program is available free of charge to anyone living in the Renfrew area.

“Breastfeeding isn’t just about milk; it’s also about love.”

Types of challenges addressed by our Mental Health Counsellors include:

• Depression and/or anxiety
• Parenting related issues
• Personality Disorder Symptoms
• Relationship struggles
• Self-esteem difficulties
• Stress/burnout
• Trauma
• Work related problems

Mental health services at Ancient Rivers FHT are prioritized for clients who do not have access to EAP, workplace, or other benefits for counselling, and do not have access to publicly funded services through an alternate organization.

Mental health services are offered free of charge. To request an appointment, speak with your healthcare provider for a referral.

Our dietitian can help you manage your individual nutrition needs. A Registered Dietitian is a trained professional that uses nutrition therapy to support patients in managing their health conditions and preventing disease.

Here are some of the conditions a Registered Dietitian can help with:

• Diabetes and prediabetes
• Heart heath including cholesterol and blood pressure
• Digestive disorders including celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases
• Malnutrition including nutrient deficiencies
• Weight concerns
• Picky eating
• Vegetarian and vegan diets

In Ontario, dietitians are your best source of nutrition information as they are the only regulated nutrition professional. The term 'nutritionist' is not legally regulated in Ontario, there are no educational or ethical requirements for its use.

Dietitian services are offered free of charge. To request an appointment, speak with your healthcare provider for a referral.

This service is open to anyone in the community and no physician referral is required. Please call us to book an appointment:

Phone: (613) 554-9551 
Toll-Free: 1 (866) 972-5549

Book this appointment if:

• You have a cervix
• You have had any type of sexual activity
• You are 25-70 years of age
• It has been 3 years or longer since your last pap test
• You DO NOT have a family doctor or nurse practitioner

Free testing is available at Ancient Rivers Family Health Team:

100 Health Village Lane, Suite 101B, Renfrew, ON K7V 0C3

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

The Ancient Rivers FHO (our group of local providers) continues to use Health Care Connect to connect with residents in need of a primary care provider.  Please add your name to this list if you are in need of a primary care provider.

Thank you,

Ancient Rivers Family Health Team

From: MPP John Yakabuski, Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke

Ontario Connecting More People to Primary Care Team in Renfrew and Area

April 29, 2024

There is great healthcare news for Renfrew and area residents – funding to establish a new Family Health Team (FHT) has been approved.

This is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment to connect up to 328,000 people to primary care teams, bringing the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care.

An Expression of Interest (EOI) was drafted by the 17 family doctors of the Ancient Rivers Family Health Organization (FHO) who have offices in Renfrew and Calabogie; a group of family physicians who work collaboratively to give their patients best access to personalized care and quality services, with a focus on illness prevention (Renfrew Medical Associates, 2021).

As outlined in the application submitted to the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health in June 2023, the goal of the FHT is to provide direct care to vulnerable and marginalized people and those without a family doctor.

Renfrew and Calabogie and surrounding areas are the only areas in Renfrew County that do not have an interprofessional care team that serves their region, so this announcement is a step towards filling the gap and improving equity.

“This is tremendous news for residents of Renfrew and the surrounding area, particularly to those who currently do not have a primary care physician. Giving more patients access to a family doctor, will go a long way in easing strain and overcrowding in our emergency departments, and to those who staff them. I am most grateful to all those involved with the Ancient Rivers Family Health Team, and for their leadership in this initiative. I am also grateful to our government for providing the necessary funding,” said MPP John Yakabuski.

The new Family Health Team will serve residents of the town of Renfrew and the surrounding catchment area, attach many orphan patients and aim to provide care services to approximately 6,600 Renfrew and area patients.

Dr. Candice Cybulskie, Lead Applicant for the FHT, stated: “This funding will substantially improve patient access to allied health professionals, which will help the family doctors in Renfrew, Calabogie and area deliver better care. Family doctors are the foundation of our health care system and investing in them is essential. We are excited to be bringing more resources to our community for both attached and unattached patients.

In addition to attaching more residents to primary care, the establishment of an FHT will help to prevent ER overcrowding due to emergency room visits for non-emergency issues and, as the desired model of physicians, may also help to attract much-needed doctors to our area to build their practices.

The new FHT also proposes to recruit other healthcare professionals over time, in addition to the 17 doctors who belong to the Ancient Rivers FHO, to create an interprofessional primary care team. The team approach will help make care more convenient for people, and wrap supports which are currently not available to our local residents.

Those healthcare professionals could include a nurse practitioner, nurse, and counsellors who can provide short- and long-term mental health support, as well as dietitians and physiotherapists.

The FHT would address conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, smoking cessation, diabetes, obesity, falls prevention and mobility, nutritional counselling and care coordination.

Rather than creating a new governance structure, the FHT will leverage the structure and experience of the existing Board of Directors of Renfrew Victoria Hospital, and the main site of the FHT will be located on the RVH campus.

The EOI was endorsed by many partners and individuals who make up a network of support across our region, as well as local municipalities.

______

“I would like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and all those who supported our proposal. This project will build upon our strong relationship with our local physicians to address a critical need in our area, providing access to primary care so more patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place,” stated Julia Boudreau, RVH President & CEO.

______

The Ancient Rivers Family Health Team’s Board of Directors provides essential leadership in promoting community health and delivering high-quality care. As a skills-based board with diverse professional backgrounds, board members guide strategic planning, ensure financial responsibility, and uphold regulatory standards.

Current Board Members

Dr. Candice Cybulskie, Chair

Dr. Corey Nixon, Treasurer

John Church, Board Member

Dr. Brianne Clouthier, Board Member

Matt Cruchet, Board Member