Horizon Health Network receives $1.7 million to expand Saint Andrews Wellness Centre

Expansion will match all residents with a primary care provider, eliminating the local waitlist

(SAINT ANDREWS) – Horizon Health Network (Horizon) has received $1.7 million in provincial funding to expand the Saint Andrews Wellness Centre and ensure every patient on the provincial waitlist in the region is connected with a primary care provider.

The funding will support renovations to the centre’s existing space, which has been redesigned to accommodate more health care professionals, increase clinic capacity and introduce new health care services.

The project is nearing completion and is expected to be finished by mid-April.

Funding will also support the addition of several health care professionals. A phlebotomist has already been hired, and recruitment will soon begin for a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, two licensed practical nurses, a licensed counselling therapist, a patient care attendant and two administrative support staff.

“For more than 50 years, the people of Saint Andrews have believed in caring for one another close to home. What began in 1974 with the opening of the Saint Andrews Health Centre, made possible through local philanthropist Lady Beaverbrook and the dedication of this community, has grown into something truly special,” says Margaret Melanson, President and CEO of Horizon. “This expansion builds on that strong foundation, creating more space for health care providers to work together and support residents for generations to come.”

The team currently serves 2,915 patients and provides primary care, counselling, physiotherapy, athletic therapy, and respiratory therapy services. This expansion will support the addition of blood collection and lab services.

Three new physicians will join the team this fall and work alongside one of the centre’s current physicians, Dr. Brian Peer, to onboard more patients and support him as he gradually transitions toward retirement over the next several years. Dr. Peer currently provides primary care to nearly 1,700 patients and has been serving the community for more than 30 years. Through this collaborative care approach, his patients will be gradually transitioned to one of the new physicians, ensuring they continue to receive care without having to return to the provincial waiting list.

There are currently 603 patients on the waitlist from the Saint Andrews region (including Bocabec, Chamcook, Bayside and Bartlett Mills) and each one will be attached to this health team within six to 12 months.

“Improving New Brunswickers timely access to primary care is our number one priority,” said Premier Susan Holt. “By investing in collaborative care clinics like the one in Saint Andrews, we are strengthening team-based care and ensuring more New Brunswickers are connected to the health services they need close to home.”

The wellness centre is owned and operated by the Town of Saint Andrews. Through this expansion, the town will work in partnership with Horizon to support the centre’s operations and the delivery of expanded services.

This collaboration between the province, Horizon, and the Town of Saint Andrews represents an important step toward ensuring reliable access to primary care for residents throughout the region.

“Collaborative care works best when health-care providers, partners and communities work together,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “With the support of the Town of Saint Andrews and local partners and providers, this clinic will serve as the medical home for residents and connect hundreds of more people to the primary care they deserve in their own community.”

Horizon is continuing to roll out new Family Health Teams across its service areas and improve collaborative care centres, like the Saint Andrews Wellness 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.

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, ten Horizon 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, Fundy Health Centre, Nackawic Health Centre and Saint Andrews Wellness Centre. At the same time, Horizon’s 46 existing Community Health Centres, Health Centres, and Satellite Sites 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 HorizonNB.ca/primary-care. 

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