St. Stephen latest New Brunswick community to get new collaborative care clinic

N.B. premier Susan Holt announces the ninth new collaborative care clinic to open in St. Stephen.

St. Stephen, N.B., will be the site of the province’s newest collaborative care clinic.

The New Brunswick government is giving $3.6 million to Horizon Health Network to establish the new space. This clinic is the ninth announced by the province this year, meaning Susan Holt’s Liberals have now delivered on almost a third of the promised 30 new centres by 2028.

“We want to free up [the Charlotte County Hospital] because it is bursting at the seams and could use that space in different ways,” Holt said during the announcement at the St. Stephen hospital.

“This community is going to get purpose-built space designed exactly for that primary team based care, thanks to the professionals here who have contributed to its design.”

The area is already well underway with the establishment of a care team thanks to the Charlotte County Collaborative Wellness Centre team that was created last February. The team – consisting of one physician, three nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, two licensed practical nurses, one respiratory therapist and one social worker – currently work out of the Charlotte County Hospital.

The government funds will go towards not only growing the team, but also towards efforts to establish the new centre that will not be in the hospital.

Ashley Calvert, vice president of community for Horizon Health Network, says the impact the team has had within the community is immeasurable.“

In the last year alone we have added seven health professionals to this team and have onboarded 310 new patients to the patient roster,” says Calvert. “That is 310 individuals and families who now have access to trusted health care within their community.

Calvert says the model is not only good for patients, but also supports health care providers with a more sustainable way to work and practice.

Health Minister John Dornan says attracting staff to work in rural southwest New Brunswick won’t be an issue. He says he already has a long list of interested doctors willing to move to the area for work.

While some may see the rural aspect as a barrier for attracting talent, Dornan believes it is the exact opposite.“

St. Stephen is an optimal size and there is a real community spirit here,” says Dornan.

“A town like this does keep people out of the bigger city. You can always drive there if you want to and go to Costco, but you can’t always walk down the street and you meet a neighbour or a friend or participate in a club.”

A glaring omission as part of Tuesday’s announcement was where the new centre will be located.

The premier says a lease agreement is still being finalized for the new space, and anticipates an early 2026 opening following the finalization of the deal and a few renovations.

As for the why the care clinic was announced now, Holt says she wanted residents to know they hadn’t been forgotten about.

“Folks were asking us,” she says. “[Saying] you’ve forgotten about us, you’re not doing anything, it’s not going to happen, and we want to let people know it absolutely will happen.”

Holt also teased an announcement before the end of 2025 for the province’s tenth collaborative care clinic.

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