Tantramar health clinic to take 1,000 patients off wait list in 2025

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Horizon Health Network said it has a goal of adding all patients without a primary care provider to a Tantramar area community health clinic by 2026.

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At an announcement on Tuesday Premier Susan Holt said the family health team at the Tantramar Primary Health Care Centre is expected to take another 1,000 patients from the NB Health Link provincial patient registry by the end of this year. The team currently serves 1,650 patients.

Brunswick News has reported the clinic has grown since it was established in September 2023 after three primary care providers left their positions and thousands of patients no longer had access to primary care.

In the past five months, the health centre has expanded to include a registered dietitian, pharmacist, social worker, respiratory therapist and a second nurse practitioner. In addition, the physician’s capacity has increased to four days per week from two.

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Richard Lemay, Horizon Health Network’s director of primary health care for Zone 1, said in a previous interview the organization wanted a team of four or five primary care providers, a patient navigator, more nursing staff and other professionals. He had noted space could become a limitation as the health centre grows.

At the announcement, Holt was asked if the province would be assisting with funds for additional space and staff for the clinic and she told media those conversations were already taking place.

“We’re early days of figuring out where we can find additional space and how we can make those accommodations,” she said.

Asked how Horizon will take 1,000 patients off the wait list, CEO Margaret Melanson said it will mean contacting patients on the unattached patient list with a Tantramar-area postal code to see if they still need a provider and then bring them on to the clinic.

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At the same time, the health authority will be continuing to build the allied health professional team, which she said could include staff like a physiotherapist or occupational therapist.

Holt pointed out after the 1,000 patients have been attached to the clinic, there would be about 850 patients remaining who would be added in April 2026, but she noted the waiting list could grow or there could be more providers retire in that time.

The aim is for patients who have to travel to see their primary care provider to have the option to be attached to the clinic closest to them, and to be able to receive an appointment in five days or less, said Holt.

“It’s one thing to be attached, it’s another thing to be attached at a place that you don’t have to fill up the tank to get to,” the premier said.

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Dr. Ravneet Comstock, who oversees primary care at Horizon, said there are at least two resident physicians who are training and are interested in working in Tantramar. She added there are conversations with veteran physicians about succession planning to adjust for future retirements.

John Higham, a member of the rural health action group that has been working with Horizon to improve health care in the Tantramar area, said he was pleased to see the result of the group’s efforts.

“Today I’m walking out of here with a big smile,” he said, adding it did take longer than he’d expected.

The rural health action group will continue to collaborate with the health authority to attract professionals for the health centre and the hospital and discuss with Mount Allison University to see how their on-campus clinic can complement the health centre.

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The Holt government has committed to creating at least 30 local collaborative family health teams across the province over four years. The Liberals have promised to open at least 10 clinics this year – some through expanding an existing clinic, and some started from scratch.

Two clinics have already been announced in Fredericton and Lamèque. Other clinics are slated to open in Moncton, Saint John, Edmundston, Campbellton, Carleton North, St. Stephen, and Sussex.

Vitalite Health Network currently has 25 family health teams operating throughout its network, bringing together 126 physicians and 24 nurse practitioners.

Melanson said Horizon has nine family health teams under development, and the health authority will be making improvements to its existing 46 community health centres.

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No plans to restore 24-hour ER service

Melanson said the staffing at the Sackville Memorial Hospital has stabilized with its existing emergency department hours, but the health authority is not moving to restore 24-hour ER service.

“We still have the expectation that in the future we can do that. We know the community really desires the 24 hour a day service,” she said.

Sackville Memorial Hospital’s ER has been open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. since 2021

Melanson added that increasing primary care at the health centre would help to eliminate the number of people using the ER “unnecessarily.”

When asked if the plan for health centre and Horizon’s other collaborative care teams is to include after-hours care, Melanson said there are conversations about eventually having after hours and weekend services.

“Our intention is that we need to ensure we have a service delivery model that is flexible for members of the community,” she said.

Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton said it is good to see the health centre’s expansion come to fruition, but she has lingering concerns about the ER.

“We can’t forget that we absolutely need high quality 24/7 emergency care,” she said. “We do need a concerted effort to recruit and make sure we have the expertise here to run our ER 24/7.”

-With files from Andrew Waugh

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