Sackville, N.B., health team expected to take on 1K more patients without primary care

The Tantramar health centre in New Brunswick will be taking an extra 1,000 patients in the coming months.

The Tantramar Primary Health Care Centre in Sackville, N.B., is aiming to take on more patients without access to primary care.

The family health team at the centre is expected to take another 1,000 patients from the NB Health Link provincial patient registry by the end of 2025.

Currently, the team serves 1,650 patients.

The Horizon Health Network is working towards adding the rest of the patients in the area without a primary care provider by April 2026.

“Our goal is to improve timely access to primary care for New Brunswickers,” said Premier Susan Holt in a news release.

“We are pleased to support the continued expansion of this team with the goal of matching all patients on the waitlist in the region by this time next year.”

In the past five months, the team has expanded to include:

• a registered dietitian
• a pharmacist
• a social worker
• a respiratory therapist
• a second nurse practitioner

The province says the physician’s capacity has also increased to four days per week from two.

“The family health team model brings together a team of professionals to provide a health-care home for patients,” said Health Minister John Dornan.

“This is the model that is needed for New Brunswick, not only to improve access to care for patients, but to allow health-care professionals to work to their scope of practice and have the right support to be able to deliver better care. It also will reduce pressure on our emergency rooms and result in long-term savings.”

The collaborative care centre opened in September 2023 after several physicians and a nurse practitioner in the area left, leaving about 3,000 patients without a primary care provider.

“Since 2022, we have worked closely with residents and leaders in the Sackville community to identify and understand their primary care needs,” said Dr. Ravneet Comstock, physician program lead for primary care.

“As a result, we have developed a clinic that addresses the specific needs of this particular region. As we develop more Family Health Teams in the regions Horizon serves, we will consult with communities to ensure we create teams that are best suited to serve them.”

Horizon Health has been consulting with local stakeholders in recent years to develop and expand the family health team to meet the community’s needs.

“Through collaboration with the community, we have developed a team that is improving access, creating better health outcomes and providing high-quality patient-centred care for Sackville and the surrounding area,” said Margaret Melanson, the network’s president and CEO.

The Government of New Brunswick has committed to creating at least 30 local collaborative family health teams across the province over four years.

Nine family health teams are currently in the early stages of development.

Horizon Health says its 46 existing community health centres are undergoing improvements and transformations to increase access and optimize capacity to serve patients.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.