New mobile clinics will bring primary health care to people and communities in the province who require non-urgent care and are unable to access a primary care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, made the announcement today during the latest Health Care Action update. Minister Osborne was joined by Dr. Pat Parfrey, Deputy Minister of Health Transformation, and Melissa Coish, Senior Director of Primary Health Care and Community Services, Eastern Urban Zone, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services.
The mobile clinics will be housed in a custom-designed vehicle with the required medical supplies and equipment to transport a team of medical professionals – including nurse practitioners, registered nurses, clerical staff, and family physicians – to areas with limited access to primary care.
Services that will be provided by the team will include primary care, similar to what people would receive from a family doctor or primary care clinic. This includes treating common ailments, providing education and awareness of chronic disease prevention and management, and referring patients to other services or facilities when required. The service provided may also be used to assist emergency departments as required, to provide primary care to patients with non-urgent issues.
Two mobile clinics will be launched later this year, with additional mobile clinics to be launched in 2024.
Quotes
“These mobile clinics are about supply and demand. By establishing mobile health care clinics in the province, we are supplying the resources to reach more people who need access to primary health care. Our recruitment initiatives are working, but there is still work to be done, and these clinics will help us meet the demand while we recruit for more health care professionals.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“Mobile primary health care clinics are an innovative solution that brings primary health care services directly to communities who are experiencing limited access to health care. The clinics are targeted towards patients who are unable to access their primary care provider or are unattached to a primary care provider and require non-urgent primary health care services with limited follow-up. The clinic is also designed to take pressure off emergency rooms.”
Melissa Coish
Senior Director, Primary Health Care and Community Services, Eastern Urban Zone, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
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Health Care Action
Improving Access to Health Care
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