New Family Health Team brings greater stability to primary care in Woodstock

(WOODSTOCK) – A new Family Health Team in Woodstock is helping to ensure more patients can access and remain connected to primary care by stabilizing existing patient rosters, preventing patient unattachment, and supporting future growth.

Horizon Health Network (Horizon) received $1.2 million in provincial funding to establish the Woodstock Family Health Team. Since beginning operations in May, the team has served a roster of 5,825 patients and is working to onboard an additional 980 patients from the provincial registry over the next two years.

“This investment is already making a difference for patients in Woodstock,” says Margaret Melanson, Horizon’s President and CEO. “The Family Health Team is helping stabilize existing patient rosters, maintain continuity of care during provider transitions and create capacity to connect more people with primary care in the years ahead.”

The Woodstock Family Health Team brings together two local physician practices and a growing interdisciplinary team of health care professionals working collaboratively to meet the needs of patients across the community.

The team recently welcomed a physician, a social worker, and a medical office assistant. The new physician, Dr. Sarah Purcell, is supporting patient care while another physician is on leave and has already begun rostering patients of her own.

Recruitment is underway for three nurse practitioners, a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse, a dietitian, a respiratory therapist, a phlebotomist and additional administrative support.

Once these positions are in place, the team will be able to onboard an additional 2,400 residents, bringing its total capacity to nearly 3,400 new patients and providing enough capacity to connect all 2,636 unattached residents currently on the provincial registry.

“Our focus is on delivering the care New Brunswickers need, when they need it, close to home,” said Premier Susan Holt. “This investment will help keep patients in Woodstock connected to care, close to home, support the health-care professionals who care for them, and create opportunities for more residents to access primary care. That’s the difference collaborative care can make.”

“Patients are already benefiting from this team-based approach to care in Woodstock,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “By bringing together a range of health-care professionals, the team is helping maintain care for current patients while creating opportunities in the future to continue connecting more residents with primary care and a broader range of health services.”

The Woodstock Family Health Team reflects years of commitment and collaboration among local physicians, health care providers, community leaders, and residents working together to strengthen access to primary care in the region.

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, 14 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, Saint Andrews Wellness Centre, Perth-Andover, Hampton, Moncton West, and Woodstock. In addition, Horizon’s 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 unattached patient registry (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. 

– 30 –