Horwath supports funding for nurse practitioner clinics, doctor recruitment

INGERSOLL — Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is in Oxford County to throw her support behind funding for Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics (NPLC) and to push for the recruitment of more doctors, to give more Ontarians greater access to primary care, everywhere.

On Tuesday, Horwath met with the clinic manager and clinical director of the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. The clinic has been applying for funding to expand in order to meet the broader community’s health care needs since 2016, but they say their requests have been denied.

“Everyone in Ontario should have easy access to primary care,” said Horwath. “But in Oxford County alone, thousands of people go without. Folks are on their own to manage chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. People have nowhere to turn when a new health issue arises. And far too often, people end up in the emergency department when they need primary care.

“What I’d do differently is fund more nurse practitioner clinics, better — including the clinic in Ingersoll — and I’d launch an effort to recruit at least 300 more doctors for rural and Northern Ontario so that every family has a health professional in their corner, taking care of them.”

Of the roughly 34,000 physicians in Ontario, only 1,483 are working in rural and remote areas. Horwath is calling for ramped up physician recruitment, and funding for more nurse practitioner clinics throughout Ontario.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have completed advanced university education enabling them to diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medication and care for patients in partnership with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

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Stephanie Nevins, Clinic Manager, and Jessie Rumble, Clinical Director, Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner LED Clinic, Joint Statement

“Oxford County is just one of many underserviced rural communities in Ontario that require increased access to team-based primary care.
We need to see more funding dedicated to ensure that all communities like ours have access to the right care, at the right time, closest to home.”

Video: https://www.facebook.com/100044127531830/videos/919979375368062