Some collaborative care clinics struggling to attach patients, province says

Premier Susan Holt provided an update on how successful some of the province's collaborative care clinics have been at attaching patients to primary care providers. She also shared how some of the clinics are facing challenges picking up new patients. I hope it's clear that connecting people to primary care is a priority of our government and these collaborative care clinics and our recruitment efforts are making a difference in communities. Holt updated numbers for some of of the province's 22 clinics which have been operational for a year or more. The province's biggest success so far is the Fredericton North Clinic. It hit its goal of attaching 1,600 patients. Moncton's Mapleton Clinic is closing in on its 700 patient target with 631 so far. Carlton North's clinic has attached over 240 patients of its 800 patient target. A Miramichi clinic has attached about 200 patients of its 1,000 patient target that it hopes to hit in June. While Holt had numbers for some clinics that are making progress, she didn't have updated figures for other clinics, like Campbellton, which has a goal of at least 1,500 patients added. I don't have the figure of attachment to that clinic here. Again, part of that is because we are counting in new ways, and we've taken their roster and gotten it cleaned up. She also said in April that the Tantramar Clinic had 277 patients added with a goal of 1,000. Holt said the team has been waiting to move into a new space, leaving the patient tally stagnant. Holt also shared an update on physician recruitment and retention. She said since January 2025, there's been a net increase of 179 new physicians, including 72 family doctors. We still have as you all know a pretty steep hill to climb in terms of the people who don't have access to care and needing to recruit in certainly more than 179. This net physician increase of 179 physicians I think that's showing us that our investment in this contract for physicians has paid off and we need to see more and more of that until we get everyone attached. The Premier said when clinics like Fredericton North reach their targets. It doesn't mean that they stop. The province encourages health care teams to push past their targets.