New primary health care site to be established in Deer Lake/White Bay

In keeping with government�s commitment to enhance the delivery of health care services to rural areas of the province, Health and Community Services Minister Tom Osborne, along with Kathy Goudie, MHA for Humber Valley, today announced that government will invest $195,000 to enhance primary health care services in the Deer Lake/White Bay area. The investment includes strengthened primary health care services in the region, along with the hiring of a full-time nurse practitioner.

�Through primary health care, our government is providing residents of this province with the appropriate services when and where they need them,� said Minister Osborne. �The primary health care initiative, with the addition of a Nurse Practitioner, will strengthen the supply of front-line service providers in Deer Lake/White Bay area and ultimately improve health outcomes for the people of this area.�

In December 2005, the Department of Health and Community Services provided $25,000 in funding to support the development of a proposal to further enhance Primary Health Care in the Deer Lake/White Bay area. As part of the proposal development process, an in-depth community and service needs assessment was undertaken to identify the strengths and challenges for the area.

Primary health care is the means to offer front-line services to a community using a team of various health care providers such as nurses, physicians, social workers and mental health and addictions workers. Through such a team approach, patients can receive coordinated assessment and treatment from an array of clinicians, including any appropriate follow up.

In addition to basic medical services, the primary health care team will provide wellness initiatives such as cervical screening; chronic disease prevention and monitoring; programming for children, seniors and other high risk groups, as well as other health community initiatives to enhance the health of the population in the Deer Lake/White Bay area.

�Government is fulfilling its commitment to improve the delivery of health care services for all residents of this province,� said Kathy Goudie, MHA for Humber Valley. �Deer Lake/White Bay is an area, in particular, where there was an identified need for strengthened primary health care services. This new primary health care team is a positive step to enhancing health care services for the people of the region.�

Government will hire a nurse practitioner position within the new Deer Lake/White Bay primary health care team to complement the site�s health care services. Approximately $70,000 will be invested annually to support this position.

�We are delighted with the commitment to Primary Health Care by the Department of Health and Community Services,� said Susan Gillam, Chief Executive Officer with Western Health. �This initiative provides Western Health with the opportunity to build on the successes of Primary Health Care projects in Bonne Bay and Port aux Basques and work with the health and community services team in Deer Lake/White Bay to strengthen the delivery of health and community services to this region.�

Government announced an investment of $4.3 million through the federal government�s Primary Health Care Transition Fund in Budget 2004 to develop new primary health care teams across the province in the first phase of primary health care renewal. There are currently eight established primary health care team areas throughout the province, including St. John�s, Bonavista, Placentia, Twillingate/New World Island, Connaigre Peninsula, Bonne Bay, Labrador East and Grenfell.

Media contact:
Tansy Mundon, Health and Community Services, (709) 729-1377, 685-1741 or tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
Heidi Staeben-Simmons, Western Health, (709) 637-5252


2006 07 17                                           10:00 a.m.