ESPANOLA—When Paola Taylor and her husband recently moved back to Sudbury, they couldn’t find a doctor, but they found the care they needed at the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. “We have never received so much attention to our health,” said Ms. Taylor. “The nurses at the clinic were very supportive in helping us with our medical issues.”
Last week, the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) announced funding to help to ensure quality primary health care is more accessible to people in the Sudbury District living with medical conditions, mental illness, addictions and poverty issues closer to home.
An investment of $1.9 million is supporting a Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (NPLC) in Sudbury and an Aboriginal Health Access Centre (AHAC) in Espanola and Massey.
Noojmowin-Teg Aboriginal Health Access Centre is receiving $810,000 to expand Aboriginal Health Access Centre programs and services to Indigenous people in Espanola and Massey. The new services will include a full-time nurse practitioner who will provide clinical services within the Espanola Family Health Team. The Centre Place will house a full-time Indigenous mental health and addiction counsellor and cultural support worker and will include a culturally specific space for counselling and traditional services, as well as an activity space for workshops and cultural safety training. In the fall of 2016, the LHIN published the North East LHIN Aboriginal Health Care Reconciliation Action Plan, which includes 24 calls to action and guides the LHIN’s work to build a stronger system of care for Indigenous Northerners.
“Noojmowin-Teg Health Centre is pleased to receive funding for an expansion of primary care services to Anishinabe people living within Espanola and area,” Pamela Williamson, executive director, Noojmowin-Teg Aboriginal Health Access Centre, said in a press release. “As a priority, the organization will seek to engage the community in greater awareness of the new services, develop pathways for referrals and linked services with Espanola partners, and ensure that the services respond to the needs of clients.”
