The Provincial Government is establishing a family care team in Grand Falls-Windsor to increase access to health care for residents in the region. The advancement of family care teams is an important element in the Provincial Government’s plan to reimagine health care, and to help meet the health care needs of residents closer to home.
The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, will be available to media to provide more details about the family care team today (Tuesday, October 10) In the Media Centre, East Block, Confederation Building at 11:00 am. Minister Osborne will be joined by Dr. Kris Luscombe, CEO of Killick Health Services. The media availability will be livestreamed on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Facebook page.
The new family care team will be located at the Killick Clinic in the Lynken Building at 129 Lincoln Road, Grand Falls-Windsor, which will accommodate 21 staff members including two physicians, a nurse practitioner, a physiotherapist, an occupation therapist, a psychologist, and other health professionals and medical office assistants.
Residents who may be without access to primary care are encouraged to visit https://patientconnect.nlchi.nl.ca/ or call 1-833-913-4679 to be assigned to this family care team or when one is available in their area.
Family care teams are a modern way of providing primary care. The number of people rostered with family care teams in the province has risen from approximately 28,000 people in March 2023 to more than 49,000 in September 2023.
More information on family care teams is available by visiting the Provincial Government’s Health Care Action website.
As part of the record investment in health care, Budget 2023 included $21.2 million to fund 10 teams for 2023-24, along with an 11th team on the Burin Peninsula. Once fully implemented, these new teams will provide access to primary care for up to 80,000 people.
Quotes
“We are excited about the successes of the family care teams so far and the improvements it has made for people who now have primary care for their family. An additional 21,000 people have been rostered to family care teams since March, and with more teams coming in the near future, we look forward to even more people having improved access to primary care.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services is pleased to see the continued development of family care teams within the Central Zone and throughout the province, which enhances access to services and strengthens health-care delivery in Newfoundland and Labrador. NL Health Services has been able to establish the family care team in the Exploits area by working collaboratively with our partners at Killick Health Services and many community stakeholders. We are thankful for the engagement and continued support of all those involved.”
Joanne Pelley
Vice President-Chief Operating Officer Central Zone, Provincial Chief Nursing Officer, NL Health Services
“We are very excited about this new partnership with NL Health Services announced today, that will allow innovative development of team based primary care in Grand Falls-Windsor, in collaboration with local family doctors, as envisioned by the Health Accord. This is a positive step forward in assisting local primary care access and can increase support to family physicians working in community clinics. It is hoped that this will greatly improve local family physician recruitment and retention.”
Kris Luscombe
Director, Killick Health Services, Grand Falls-Windsor
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