Inquinte.ca Published an article March 03, 2023
By Nicole Kleinsteuber
The Ontario government is investing in the hiring of more nurse practitioners to expand access to primary care within the Quinte Region.
MPP Todd Smith announced on Friday the Ministry of Health is providing the Belleville Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic up to $209,800 in additional base funding for 2022-2023 and up to $839,200 in annualized funding starting in 2023-2024. The investment will support the hiring of 2.6 additional nurse practitioner positions, 1.5 administration positions, a registered nurse and a social worker. By increasing staffing levels at the Belleville Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Smith said they can ensure about 2,000 more people will see primary care practitioners.
"This is a great first step in trying to solve our primary care shortage in the Quinte Region," he said following the announcement. "Anytime you have the opportunity to attach 2,000 people in the Quinte Region to a primary care provider that's great. "There is still a lot of work to do but there are going to be more of these good news announcements coming in the near future."
Karen Clayton-Babb, the Chief Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director at the Belleville Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic called the funding announcement "very exciting."
"We are thrilled because we have been working on this for the past five years so we are very delighted to have this new funding," she said. "Similar to other communities across Ontario thousands of residents are unattached to primary care and the number continues to grow; therefore, this new investment for the expansion of the Belleville Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, is a step in the right direction to transform the lives of residents who have been without primary care for many years."
The current location in downtown Belleville has four nurse practitioners serving 2,700 patients throughout the Bay of Quinte and surrounding areas. When the BNPLC submitted a proposal for funding to the province it was for a new satellite office, however, they are "having some challenges with that" and work continues on where the future location will be.