People across Ontario will see improved access to primary care thanks to a government announcement that will fund seven additional Nurse Practitioner (NP)-led clinics.
"We are thrilled with today's news," says Doris Grinspun, executive director of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), who attended the media conference held by Minister of Health Deb Matthews. "The real winners are the people in these communities who will soon benefit from the expertise of NPs because they will finally get the access that many others are still waiting for."
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education and decision-making competencies in assessment, diagnosis, treatment and health-care promotion. They have legislative authority to treat common illnesses and injuries, manage chronic diseases, prescribe medications, and order a variety of lab and diagnostic tests, including x-rays and ultrasounds.
"This is a day to be especially proud of the work these skilled professionals are doing and the contribution they are making," says Wendy Fucile, president of RNAO adding "NP-led clinics are a made-in-Ontario innovation that will play a key role in the delivery and transformation of primary care for years to come."
The clinics will be located in the communities of Oshawa, Belleville, Essex, Glengarry South, Oro Station and French River, as well as a second clinic in Thunder Bay that will serve the needs of the Aboriginal population. These are in addition to four announced earlier this year in Belle River, Sault Ste. Marie, Barrie and Thunder Bay. Fourteen more are expected to be announced in 2010. The first NP-led clinic opened its door in Sudbury in the summer of 2007.