Health minister says New Brunswick's patient wait-list to be eliminated by year’s end
After being on the hunt for a new tenant for quite some time, a community pharmacy in Keswick, N.B., is now renting out space in its health clinic to a nurse practitioner.
It's a welcome addition after the clinic’s original physician left for another province.
It’s a step forward for a community that has about 700 so-called orphan patients – people without a primary care provider.
“It’s a big gap,” said Shelonie Cooley, the pharmacist and co-owner of the clinic. “I mean, as a community pharmacist working in there every day, I see the patients coming in who don't have family physicians and they are thrilled to know that we have Leah here now.”
The nurse practitioner will fill part of the space, but they’re still hoping to recruit a family physician to complete the clinic.
It is a relief to the patient wait list-that, in recent months, has grown to over 50,000 people.
“That's why we're in such a need to make sure we get this system up and running,” said New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard.
The system she is referring to is the Primary Care Network -- a provincial program that will match orphan patients to a timely appointment with a physician or nurse practitioner while they wait for a longer-term placement.
The aim is to eliminate the need for the current wait-list system.
The target was for it to be in place by the end of quarter two – or September -- but Shephard says it’s now looking like the end of the year.
“I know that it's taken a little bit longer but we know that our COVID reality has certainly given staff challenges and they've had to prioritize their targets in the moment,” she said.
But they are making improvements. With the addition of the Keswick nurse practitioner clinic, almost 30 nurse practitioners have been now hired in zone three alone, which includes the Fredericton and Upper River Valley area.
Those providers are filling gaps in an area that has lost some family doctors in recent months.
“We have some work to do on family practice physician recruitment, there’s no question,” said David Arbeau, a primary care director for Horizon Health Network. “But there's lots of work happening and collaboration with municipalities and lots of conversations happening around how do we work together on that.”
Shephard says they are aiming to open more clinics, including in rural areas where some are not accessing primary care in a timely way.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.