Funding to connect thousands of area residents to primary care

The province is investing over $2.1 million this year to connect up to 4,650 people to primary care in the area.   

That includes 1,950 people in Nipissing and up to 2,700 in West Nipissing.  

Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, says it’s part of the government’s Primary Care Action Plan that will help connect 300,000 people across the province to primary care. 

“Our government has been making historic investments to protect our health care system, taking bold and innovative action to make it easier for patients and families to connect to care,” says Fedeli. “Our investment in primary care is another way we are growing our province’s highly skilled workforce and ensuring people and families have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.” 

Area funding includes: 

• $477,800 to North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic to connect 1075-1200 patients with a primary care team 
• $714,700 to the North Bay Indigenous Hub – Giiwedno Mshkikiiwgamig to connect 675-750 patients with a primary care team 
• $947,500 to Centre de santé communautaire de Nipissing-Ouest to connect up to 2700 people to primary care 

“This additional funding will allow our clinic to connect more patients with a Nurse Practitioner and have access to additional services delivered by our dedicated interdisciplinary health care team,” says Jaymie-lynn Blanchard, NP-PHC, MScN Clinic Director & Nurse Practitioner with the North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. “We look forward to expanding our reach in the community and welcoming more new patients to the clinic in the coming months.”  

Guy Robichaud, Directeur Général/Executive Director, Centre de Santé Communautaire de Nipissing Ouest says they’re thankful for the vital additional funding.  

“The West Nipissing Community Health Centre is proud to support this regional, multi-partner initiative that will enable primary care clinics servicing communities within the P0H district to enhance their capacity to attach patients and improve the health outcomes of people who have been waiting for a primary care provider.”  

Officials say the Community Health Centre and Family Health Team in West Nipissing, along with the Mattawa Family Health Team are proposing the addition of interdisciplinary team members to increase attachment through first attaching patients from the Home and Community Care waitlist and then attaching additional patients that are currently on other local waitlists.  

They are planning to achieve 100% attachment in their identified Forward Sortation Area by March of 2029 and are planning to attach up to a total of 2,550 new patients. 

Richard Coffin has been a reporter and news anchor on the radio in North Bay for over 25 years.  From premiers to people in the neighbourhood, he enjoys connecting with newsmakers and writing stories that matter to area listeners on a variety of topics including healthcare, education, politics, sports and more.