Nackawic Health Centre receives $1.7 million to grow facilities and staff

(NACKAWIC-MILLVILLE) – A $1.7 million expansion of Horizon’s Nackawic Health Centre will help ensure every unattached resident in the Rural Community of Nackawic-Millville has access to a primary care provider.

As part of this investment, Horizon has secured a lease for a secondary clinical space located within the existing Nackawic Health Centre facility. The centre will provide health care services out of both clinic locations and the new area, totalling approximately 3,900 square feet, will help accommodate the team’s ongoing and extensive expansion.

Plans for renovations have already begun, with the secondary clinic space expected to open this fall.

This expansion also supports the addition of several new health care professionals including two nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, two licensed practical nurses, a social worker, a respiratory therapist, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and three administrative support positions. The majority of these positions are currently in active recruitment, with several already filled.

“By expanding our clinical space and growing our collaborative team, we are strengthening our ability to provide timely, comprehensive care close to home,” said Ashley Calvert, Horizon’s interim Vice President Community. “Most importantly, this growth means we can connect every unattached resident in this community with a primary care provider.”

The centre opened 28 years ago as a blood collection service and has steadily grown to provide more health care service offerings to the community. The collaborative care team currently serves 2,684 patients and offers primary care, ambulatory care, blood collection, electrocardiograms, nursing assessments and sexual health services. 

There are 1,163 people currently on the provincial waitlist in the Rural Community of Nackawic-Millville and, with this expansion, the centre will be able to attach everyone from this list and have the ability to add more patients as the population grows.

“This investment directly helps patients in Nackawic-Millville get the care they need, closer to home,” said Premier Susan Holt. “By expanding team-based primary care, we are not only improving access and continuity for patients, but also making it easier for health-care providers to work together, share expertise, and focus on delivering better outcomes for the people they serve.”

Horizon is continuing to roll out new Family Health Teams across its service areas and improve collaborative care centres, like Nackawic Health Centre, to meet its 2029 goal of ensuring every resident has a primary care provider. Since Horizon launched its Primary Care strategy in April 2025, nearly 10,000 patients have been matched with a team.

“Collaborative care means better, more connected health care for patients and stronger support for providers,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “The expanded team of primary care and allied health professionals and support staff at the Nackawic Health Centre shows how we are building a stronger health system through team-based care.”

About Family Health Teams

Horizon’s transformative primary care strategy will establish Family Health Teams across the province, aiming to match all New Brunswickers who live in areas served by Horizon with a local team of collaborative health care providers by 2029. This best practice approach will provide better access and an improved patient experience by bringing together different health care practitioners with a variety of competencies, skills, and experiences to address the needs of the patients they serve. Family Health Team members will include a range of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals and medical office assistants.

Currently, eight Family Health Teams are in various stages of implementation, including Fredericton North, Tantramar, Carleton North, Nordin (Miramichi), Mapleton (Moncton), St. Stephen, Saint John North End and Fundy Health Centre. At the same time, Horizon’s 46 existing Community Health Centres are undergoing improvements and transformations to increase access and optimize capacity to serve patients within the Family Health Team model.

New Brunswickers who do not have a primary care provider should continue to register with the provincial patient waitlist (NB Health Link). As new local Family Health Teams are established, New Brunswickers registered on this list will be contacted and matched with a team in their community. Horizon will share regular progress updates at www.horizonnb.ca/primary-care. 

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