Fredericton health centre increasing access to primary care

All New Brunswickers deserve accessible and quality health care and a positive patient experience, and this initiative is one example of how Horizon is committed to providing that every day.

(FREDERICTON) – Horizon’s Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre has expanded its services to include same-day, self-referral appointments with nurse practitioners (NP), increasing access for primary care in the Fredericton area.

Appointments will be made available for patients on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These are not walk-in appointments and must be booked by phone.

“We’re very excited to expand our current capacities and provide more options for patients to access timely care,” said Trish Murray, Primary Health Care Director for the Fredericton and Upper River Valley area. “Recent initiatives to include evening appointments five (5) days a week saw an 86 per cent increase in the average daily bookings. Adding this self-referral booking option will further increase patient access.”

“By offering people the option to self-refer, we are helping alleviate some of the pressures in our emergency departments and support those who don’t have a family physician or primary health care provider,” said Murray. “Calls will be triaged through a dedicated phone line beginning at 10 a.m. until all appointments are filled for the day. A limited waitlist will also be created for patients who can attend on short notice in the event of cancellations.”

Once all appointments are filled, callers will receive a message that the clinic is full for the day with instructions to call again when the clinic reopens. Those looking to book an appointment can call 506-452-5689. For more information, visit our website.

This is one of several changes to increase the clinic’s capacity to improve access to services for the Fredericton area. Renovations to the community health centre will soon be underway, which will allow the NPs to further increase the number of appointments available.

Improving access to care for New Brunswickers is a key priority for Horizon’s plan to ensure all New Brunswickers receive the quality care they need. This plan consists of three other priorities, including the retention and recruitment of physicians, nurses and staff; improving overall patient experience; and improving patient flow at our health care facilities. Further details about Horizon’s four priority areas are available at HorizonNB.ca.   This initiative also supports the Government of New Brunswick’s provincial health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action.

– 30 –