“It’s a hidden gem… that’s what patients have been calling it”: Horizon’s Queens North Community Health Centre continues to move to the beat of Minto and its surrounding communities

In Minto, the Queens North Community Health Centre’s (QNCHC) variety of health services has continued to be popular amongst its residents over the years. It is one of several Horizon facilities with a special mandate to tailor its health care services to the unique needs of each community.

Isabel Camp is the facility manager of the Queens North Community Health Centre and enjoys the camaraderie between various health care professionals.

Facility manager Isabel Camp recalls the opening of the health facility in December 2005. Having previously worked as a clinical dietitian, Isabel knows all too well the benefits of a multidisciplinary team. That’s why we find physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, dietitians, health promoters, counsellors, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, and other health care providers working together at the health centre to offer a true, patient-centred care experience.

“Anything that can be done in this community safely is done. We can also make arrangements with other, larger facilities so that the care is not delayed,” said Isabel.

Using a population health promotion approach, QNCHC’s physicians, primary providers, and multidisciplinary team members have created strong connections with patients who visit them for scheduled and unscheduled appointments while enjoying a short commute to receive remarkable services.

Patient Dana Yeomans has been impressed by the primary health care services he has received so close to home, thanks to the staff of the QNCHC.

“Most people, like young nurses who work here, well, I would have known their parents since I lived here all my life,” said patient Dana Yeomans. “They are almost like family they keep me going.”

In addition to primary health care services, the QNCHC offers a wide range of diagnostic and support services from the health care team, such as medical imaging, blood and specimen collection, blood transfusion, wound care, mental health services, physiotherapy, etc.

Click here to take a virtual tour of this facility!

Mary-Faith Mazerolle, a Horizon medical imaging technologist who works at QNCHC, accompanies her mother, Aroon Bailey, to an appointment at the health centre.

Aroon Bailey, a community resident, has been coming to the QNCHC to receive care for a wounded leg. “I find the staff very attentive, you don’t have to wait very long, and you can count on them for anything,” said Ms. Bailey during a visit to the health centre. As an extra, her daughter is always ready to assist her when she is not working in the X-ray department.

Other than its helpful, multidisciplinary staff, the QNCHC is also an important communication hub for the community. Its bulletin boards promote community events to keep its residents healthy, connected, and close-knit. Several areas of the facility are also adorned with local artwork, a testament to the natural beauty found in the landscapes in and around Minto.

Registered nurse, Heather Fraser, stands next to an image of a covered bridge, the Burpee Bridge, near her grandfather’s homestead, in Gaspereau.

“It’s a hidden gem… that’s what patients have been calling it,” said Heather Fraser, a registered nurse at the health centre. Even though the QNCHC does offer walk-in services for non-urgent medical conditions, Heather wishes to remind residents that it is important to call 9-1-1 or head to the nearest Emergency Department (ED) when experiencing signs of stroke, for example. For advice on when to go to an ED depending on your symptoms, visit www.SoWhyWait.ca.