The North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) is announcing an investment of $6.2 million to provide access to high-quality primary health care closer to home.
It is an investment to connect patients in North Bay and across the Nipissing-Temiskaming Sub Region with a range of health care professionals, including nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, physiotherapists, social workers, and dieticians.
- Primary Care Clinic for North Bay’s Marginalized Population: The North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (NPLC) is receiving $1.1 million to support the delivery of primary health care and programming that is accessible, non-judgemental, and meets the needs of North Bay’s marginalized population in the downtown core, focussing on improving health equity.
- Nipissing/Temiskaming Rapid Access Addictions Medicine (RAAM) Clinic: Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing is receiving $200,000 to bring timely medical treatment closer to home for people with opioid and alcohol addictions. The clinic will be based in North Bay and will serve the entire sub-region. The North Bay Recovery Home will provide Addiction Case Management support services to the RAAM Clinic.
- Family Health Team: The Mattawa Hospital is receiving $581,000 to create a new Family Health Team and offer allied health programs and services to patients of the rural townships of Papineau-Cameron, Mattawan, Mattawa, Calvin, Bonfield, and Chisholm.
- Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team for Nipissing/North Bay: Nipissing First Nation is receiving $2.6 million to create an Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team to serve the three First Nations of Dokis, Nipissing, and Temagami as well as the Indigenous population in North Bay.
- Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team for Temiskaming: The Temiskaming Native Women’s Support Group is receiving $1.7 million for a new Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team to serve Indigenous people in the Temiskaming district.
The investment in the North Bay NPLC will allow the clinic to open a new satellite site with a particular focus on patients who are marginalized or have barriers to seeking primary care as a result of social determinants of health. The clinic will connect complex patients and people without a primary care provider with a range of health care professionals, such as nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and dieticians – to address a broad range of healthcare needs, including mental health and chronic disease management.
The RAAM clinic is part of the NE LHIN’s Regional Opioid Strategy, designed to meet the needs of rising rates of opioid use disorder, accidental overdoses, hospitalizations, and ER visits in Northeastern Ontario. The clinic will provide timely medical treatment for opioid and alcohol addictions, closer to home and will treat people in North Bay in addition to providing outreach to neighbouring communities. Starting later this spring, this clinic will open to clients, who can walk-in or call to get help.
Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Teams are Indigenous community-led, primary health care organizations, providing a combination of traditional healing, primary care, cultural programs, health promotion programs, community development initiatives, and social support services to Indigenous people. In the fall of 2016, the NE LHIN published the North East LHIN Aboriginal Health Care Reconciliation Action Plan, which guides the LHIN’s work to ensure a stronger system of care for Indigenous Northerners.
The investment in the Mattawa Hospital will allow for the creation of a Family Health Team in Mattawa to serve patients in the entire community, who currently do not have access to allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, social workers, dietitians, and others.
