Horizon Family Health Team in Tantramar to provide primary care services to all community members without a primary care provider within the next year

(HORIZON) – Horizon Health Network (Horizon) is pleased to announce the launch of a second Family Health Team as part of its transformative primary care strategy, this time in Tantramar at the Tantramar Primary Health Care Centre. Thanks to a planned expansion and additional staff, this location is on track to accommodate all patients in the Tantramar region without a primary care provider within the next 12 months.

The clinic first opened in September 2023, following the departure of several physicians and a nurse practitioner in the area, which left 3,000 patients without a primary care provider. The team has grown significantly over the past year and a half and now includes a physician, two nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, a licensed practical nurse, three administrative staff members and a range of allied health professionals, including a dietician, pharmacist, social worker and respiratory therapist.

“We are thrilled to see the Tantramar Primary Health Care Centre evolve into a robust, interdisciplinary health care team,” said Margaret Melanson, President and CEO of Horizon. “Through collaboration with the community, we have developed a team that is improving access, creating better health outcomes and providing high-quality patient-centred care for Tantramar and the surrounding area.”  

Currently, the clinic serves 1,650 patients; by the end of 2025, an additional 1,000 patients who currently do not have a primary care provider will be added from the provincial patient waitlist. Work is now underway to plan for ongoing sustainable primary care services for the community. This includes planning with other providers and community partners to ensure that all residents of this community who do not currently have a primary care provider are matched by April 2026. Horizon will also be involved in succession planning to prevent any additional patients in the area from being added to the provincial patient waitlist in the event their primary care provider retires or leaves the community.

Dr. Ravneet Comstock, Physician Program Lead, Primary Care, says part of this work will include conversations and planning around infrastructure needs for the community to accommodate more allied health care professionals and primary care providers. Her team has been focused on ongoing community engagement with stakeholders in the Tantramar area over the last several years, resulting in significant improvements to primary care access and services.

“Since 2022, we have worked closely with residents and leaders in the Sackville community to identify and understand their primary care needs,” Dr. Comstock said. “As a result, we have developed a clinic that addresses the specific needs of this particular region. As we develop more Family Health Teams in the regions Horizon serves, we will consult with communities to ensure we create teams that are best suited to serve them.”

“Our goal is to improve timely access to primary care for New Brunswickers,” said Premier Susan Holt. “We are pleased to support the continued expansion of this team with the goal of matching all patients on the waitlist in the region by this time next year.”

“The family health team model brings together a team of professionals to provide a health-care home for patients,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “This is the model that is needed for New Brunswick, not only to improve access to care for patients, but to allow health-care professionals to work to their scope of practice and have the right support to be able to deliver better care. It also will reduce pressure on our emergency rooms and result in long-term savings.”

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, nine Family Health Teams are in early stages of development. 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.