North East LHIN Supports New Primary Health Care Clinic Will Serve White River and Pic Mobert First Nation

May 07, 2018 – A new team of health care professionals will provide people living in White River and Pic Mobert First Nation with better access to high-quality health care closer to home.

A new Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic will connect people in White River and Pic Mobert with interdisciplinary primary care services, access to nurse practitioners, a registered nurse, and a social worker to address a broad range of healthcare needs, including mental health and chronic disease management. The clinic will service the two “Northern Neighbours” of White River and Pic Mobert First Nation.

Team-based health care clinics help empower patients and their families and encourage them to be active participants in living healthy lives. Ontario is creating new and expanded primary care programs and services in order to respond to the health and social service needs of communities across the province, including Aboriginal people, Franco-Ontarians, newcomers and seniors.

The 2015 North Algoma Health Needs Assessment, which was funded by the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN), identified gaps and barriers in health care services in the North Algoma and White River area. The issues and observations in the study supported the development of an interprofessional care team model. As part of its new mandate to do primary care planning as part of Patients First, the NE LHIN, working closely with the Township of White River and Pic Mobert First Nation, created and submitted the business case for the new nurse-practitioner led clinic.

QUOTES

“Our government is committed to ensuring everyone in Ontario has access to high-quality primary care, closer to home. The support of interprofessional primary care teams in the community is an important and significant step toward achieving this goal.”

— Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“The North East LHIN recognizes the need for Northerners living in White River and Pic Mobert to have greater access to health care services closer to where they live. This new nurse-practitioner clinic will help address many primary care needs in an area that has traditionally had limited primary care resources. The LHIN commends the Township of White River and Pic Mobert First Nation on their successful partnership to enhance health care services in both communities.”

— Jeremy Stevenson, CEO, North East LHIN

QUICK FACTS

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, with the support of the North East LHIN, is investing $728,100 to support the establishment of the Northern Neighbours Nurse-Practitioner Led Clinic, as part of Ontario’s commitment to expand access to interprofessional primary care across the province.
In the 2017 Budget, the province made a commitment of $15.5 million for 2017-18 and an additional 27.8 million in 2018-19 to create and expand interprofessional primary care teams (Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Community Health Centres) focusing on areas with the greatest needs.
Ontario has also committed $329.2 million over five years to recruit and retain interprofessional primary care professionals.
There are currently 294 interprofessional care teams across Ontario delivering care to more than four million people.
The province is providing $23 million per year over three years to improve care coordination for complex patients through the Health Links initiative.

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