New Perth-Andover Family Health Team to connect every resident with primary care

$1.6M provincial investment attracts new primary care and health care providers to region

(SOUTHERN VICTORIA) – A $1.6 million investment has enabled Horizon Health Network (Horizon) to establish a new family health team in Perth-Andover that is strengthening access to primary care and allied health services, while working to connect all unattached patients in the region to a primary care provider.

Stabilizing and improving access to primary care in the region

The Perth-Andover Family Health Team was created to support long-term improvements to health care in the region, including stabilizing and maintaining primary care access as local physicians near retirement in the next few years.

Two of the area’s longstanding community physicians, Drs. Allison and Carter Kennedy, have collaborated with Horizon to realize a vision that will transform their practices into a collaborative care model, ensuring their patients would remain attached to care – rather than returning to the provincial waitlist – through a supported physician retirement plan.

Community physician Dr. David Bell and his practice joined the collaborative team, and Dr. Kiran Ahmed has recently joined the team through the Practice Ready Assessment New Brunswick program. Originally from Pakistan, Dr. Ahmed is a family physician and has been practising in Ontario since 2018 and is now bringing her robust experience to New Brunswick.

Additional, coordinated health care services

As part of this investment, several allied health professionals have been added to the team, providing the region with a greater range of health care services

The Perth-Andover Family Health Team brings together five physicians, two nurse practitioners (NPs), three registered nurses, two licensed practical nurses (LPNs), a dietitian, an occupational therapist, a diabetes educator and several administrative staff to form Horizon’s first collaborative care team in this community.

Recruitment is ongoing for an additional two NPs, another LPN and a social worker.

“The creation of the Perth-Andover Family Health Team is a testament to this community and its long-term primary care providers. This team-based care model has already allowed us to attract more primary care providers to this community, and the establishment of this team is a landmark in ensuring sustainable access to health care for generations to come.” Ashley Calvert, interim VP Community, Horizon Health Network.

In addition to providing primary care and allied health services, members of the team also provide care for patients with non-urgent medical needs at Horizon’s Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph emergency department.

Connecting unattached patients to primary care

The team began practising in November 2025 and has already made significant progress in addressing the region’s primary care needs. In just a few short months, approximately 400 patients from the provincial unattached patient registry have been successfully attached to this team.

The team currently serves approximately 11,000 patients and is positioned to expand further. There are approximately 870 individuals in Perth-Andover and surrounding communities who are currently on the provincial registry, awaiting a primary care provider. This team expects to roster all remaining waitlisted patients within 12 to 18 months.

“This milestone reflects real progress in building a health care system where every New Brunswicker is connected to a trusted team of health care professionals close to home. Collaborative care clinics are at the heart of that vision – bringing together health-care professionals so they can focus on patients and deliver the care people need, when and where they need it.” Susan Holt, Premier of New Brunswick.

“The Perth-Andover Family Health Team is a strong example of how collaborative care can make a real difference for patients, providers and the entire community. It is especially encouraging to see local providers embrace this model to better support their patients and plan for the future. By working as a team, they are strengthening access to care today while ensuring continuity for their patients in the years ahead.” John Dornan, Minister of Health.

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, 11 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 and Perth-Andover. In addition, 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 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. 

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