CEO Statement: Horizon Nurse Practitioner Recruitment Efforts April 30, 2021 (HORIZON) – I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the misconceptions I’ve seen in recent media reports, which appear to be calling into question the integrity and effectiveness of Horizon’s approach to the recruitment of Nurse Practitioners (NPs), notably new graduates, to our organization. To be clear, there are currently 17 vacant NP positions within Horizon which we are actively working to fill through our ongoing recruitment activities. These efforts have included establishing connections with the University of New Brunswick’s NP program, and their upcoming graduating class of seven candidates. I would like to state – unequivocally – that Horizon has an immense amount of interest in these new graduates, and this is something that has been reinforced repeatedly over the course of the academic year. Three members of Horizon’s recruitment team, just as one example, delivered a virtual presentation to all seven members of the graduating class on Feb. 17, 2021, where we were very candid about our organization’s interest in securing the services of these new graduates to fill current and future NP opportunities. Any conditional offers of employment would be finalized in May, and in fact, the UNB NP class will also be doing their practicum/preceptorship with Horizon in the coming months. I wish to also stress that any positions requiring two years experience may be awarded to candidates without any experience, as long as the appropriate leadership, support and mentorship are in place to ensure the new hire is set up for success. To conclude, our commitment to the targeted, proactive recruitment of Nurse Practitioners is unwavering, as we continue to work to ensure our health care system is wrapped around the needs of our patients, accessible and sustainable for the future. Karen McGrath President and CEOHorizon Health Network