Horizon’s director of primary health care for Zone 1, Richard Lemay, had some good news to share on Wednesday evening at a public meeting about health care held in the Port Elgin Regional School. Lemay told the crowd of about 70 people that Horizon has signed a contract with a new physician to work at the Port Elgin and Region Health Centre starting sometime in early 2025.
The clinic lost its full time nurse practitioner this spring, and has been operating with an NP working just two days a week. That NP will wrap up their work in Port Elgin on August 31 this year, leaving a gap with no primary care provider based out of the clinic for several months. Lemay says Horizon is working to fill the gap, and is still not sure how long it will be, because it’s not yet clear exactly when the new physician will start.
“The plan is for that person to probably be here, early 2025, after Christmas,” said Lemay. “We can’t share any more details right now because he has to share information with his patients right now to inform them first. But probably this fall, we’ll be able to tell you exactly when the person is going to start. And we’ll keep you informed.”
During the Q&A session of the meeting, one resident asked about the longevity of the contract for the physician, which prompted Dr. Ravneet Comstock, a Horizon family doctor and lead for primary care in all zones, to weigh in.
“I think we’re very, very, extremely hopeful that this particular family is coming home, and making this home,” said Comstock. “So I think we’re excited to have somebody who’s willing to talk about no end… This was not a contract that has an end date.”
Lemay said that recruitment will continue for a nurse practitioner to join the new doctor at the clinic, and Horizon has also added a new social worker position, based on recent data released by the New Brunswick Health Council.
After the meeting, CHMA asked Lemay about the current state of staffing at the new Tantramar Primary Health Care Clinic, operating in the building across the parking lot from the Sackville Memorial Hospital.
Lemay said there are currently two doctors working part-time at the clinic, as well as a nurse practitioner who will move to full-time at the beginning of August.
He said the ultimate goal for staffing the clinic will evolve according to needs, but right now, he’s looking to hire at least three full-time primary care providers, either doctors or nurse practitioners. “And from there with all the allied health professionals we’ll be adding they’ll take care of the population also,” said Lemay. Not all patients need to see a physician or NP for each visit, said Lemay. “Some need to see an RT [respiratory therapist], a dietitian, a social worker. So that will affect how many providers we would need.”
He said he’s in the process of posting for four allied health positions to be based out of the Tantramar clinic, a full time pharmacist, a full time social worker, a full time dietitian, and a half-time respiratory therapist.
Lemay said approximately 3,000 to 4,000 patients would have their ‘patient medical home’ at the Tantramar clinic.
Lemay said both the Port Elgin and Region Health Centre and the newer Tantramar Primary Care Clinic are similar operations, but serving different geographical areas. One key difference is in community representation. The Port Elgin health centre has a community advisory committee formally attached to the clinic, There’s no such formal committee in place yet for the Tantramar clinic, but Lemay says the Rural Health Action Group fills that role. “How will that evolve? Will that become maybe a committee, may be more connected with the site? I don’t know,” said Lemay. “But for now it’s the Rural Health Action Group that has that voice.”
‘It helps everybody’
Strait Shores mayor Jason Stokes was at the meeting Wednesday and says he was ecstatic about the news of the new doctor. Stokes said that with ongoing recruitment for a nurse practitioner, he has high hopes the Port Elgin clinic “will actually be bigger than it was before.”
“Perhaps we can take people off the waitlist from Tantramar,” said Stokes, noting that many Port Elgin residents lost doctors with the closing of multiple practices last summer.
Any expansion of services in the region benefits the whole region, says Stokes. A new doctor for Port Elgin could have positive effects on waitlists in Tantramar and Moncton he says. “In the same way if Tantramar clinic expands, it helps us and Moncton,” says Stokes. “Really when the rural clinics expand, it helps everybody.”
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton hosted Wednesday’s meeting with support from Horizon’s community developer, Max Ducsharm. Mitton says she was pleased with the turnout for the small community, and also with news of the new physician, but also points to ongoing struggles of residents.
“While we have some good news that comes in, it’s also balancing it with people being in really difficult situations where they don’t have access to primary health care,” said Mitton. “This is impacting people’s lives right now.”
A recording of the full public meeting, including presentations from Medavie Health Services, as well as a public Q&A session, is available here.
