What is primary health care? Primary health care is the first place people go for health services in their community. It provides fair, complete and ongoing care while connecting patients to the health and social services they need. This approach focuses on overall well-being and community health, supporting and empowering people to manage their own health. Services available through primary health care include: Health education Preventable treatment (care that keeps you from getting sick) Treatment and management of chronic diseases and minor illnesses or injuries Referrals to specialists Mental health care Support for addiction Care for pregnant individuals Care for babies and children Palliative care (end-of-life care) Horizon’s Family Health Teams will provide full primary health care services to everyone in the community. Check out Our Plan here. What is a Family Health Team? A Family Health Team includes a range of health care professionals who bring different competencies, skills and experiences to address the diverse needs of the patients they serve. The team can include many different professionals and skillsets. Some examples include: Physician Nurse practitioner Registered nurse Licensed practical nurse Patient navigator Social worker Licensed counselling therapist Registered dietitian Occupational therapist Physiotherapist Respiratory therapist Pharmacist Medical office assistant Within a Family Health Team, the physician or nurse practitioner will be the patient’s primary care provider or “most responsible provider” in the health system. A most responsible provider has overall responsibility for directing and coordinating the care and management of a patient. The members of a Family Health Team will vary depending on the needs of each individual community. These members may or may not be co-located, but they will have a central administrative team that provides managerial, paperwork and practice/technology support. They will also use an electronic medical record to ensure the continuity of services. Ultimately, the goal of the Family Health Team model is to provide patient-centred care, ensuring patients have access to the right health care service at the right time and from the right practitioner. What are the benefits for patients? Within a Family Health Team, the patient is always at the centre. While patients will not necessarily see a physician at every appointment, they will see the most appropriate practitioner to address their specific health concern. This helps ensure people who need care can access it more quickly. Each member of the Family Health Team works together to provide comprehensive and efficient care for patients. Many health care practitioners, including most new graduates, prefer to work in a team-based setting, which makes this model beneficial for recruitment and retention. As Horizon establishes Family Health Teams throughout the communities we serve, New Brunswickers will have equal access to high-quality primary care no matter where they live within the province, delivered by a broad range of coordinated providers. Family Health Teams will aim to provide primary care services within five days, either virtually or in person, based on the patient’s health concern and their personal preference. How can I access a Family Health Team? Horizon is in the transition state of establishing Family Health Teams, with nine currently in development. While teams will be launched in all of the regions we serve by 2029, there may not be a Family Health Team in your community at this time. As Horizon builds and strengthens its Family Health Teams, the primary care providers, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative staff who are part of a team will be co-located in one space. However, recognizing the urgent need to make primary care more accessible now, Horizon has adopted a hub and spoke model, which allows us to use the infrastructure and resources we already have available, while also making improvements. This means that patients may receive care from practitioners who are part of their Family Health Team in different settings, instead of one central location. While it will take time to establish designated spaces for Family Health Teams in each community, teams will continue to collaborate closely to best serve the needs of patients in currently available spaces. We are taking several approaches to enhance primary care while continuing to develop new Family Health Teams: If a physician retires or leaves a community, we are working to match patients with interim or permanent primary care solutions. In some cases, we may be able to match these patients with a Family Health Team. In certain communities, we are establishing interim Community Access Clinics to meet immediate needs. Horizon is bolstering our existing 46 community health centres as well as community-based provider practices to deliver team-based care. Patients who are already receiving services from one of these locations will continue to receive primary care from their provider; over time, we will introduce improvements and transformations to increase access and optimize capacity. New Brunswickers without a primary care practitioner who do not yet have access to these services in their community may register for the provincial waitlist NB Health Link in the interim while waiting for local Family Health Teams to be announced. How do I confirm I’m on the list to be matched with a Family Health Team? You can contact NB Health Link to confirm that you are registered. As new local Family Health Teams are established, access coordinators will contact New Brunswickers who are registered with NB Health Link to match them with a team in their community. What should I do if I already have a primary care provider? Patients who are already matched with a community health centre or provider will continue to receive primary health care and do not need to take any action. Over time, we will introduce improvements and transformations to increase access and optimize capacity, ensuring all New Brunswickers have access to the services provided by a Family Health Team. What should I do if I need access to primary health care right now? If you need access to care and have not yet been matched with a Family Health Team, visit So Why Wait? to learn more about available health care options, including virtual care, walk-in clinics, pharmacists and more. Check out Our Plan here.