Northumberlandnews published an article June 15, 2023
By Natalie Hamilton
With a proposal underway to bring more nurse practitioners to Brighton, mayor Brian Ostrander says he’s happy to support what’s ultimately better access to local health-care services for Brightonians.
The Lakeview Family Health Team (FHT), which is based out of the Brighton Health Services Centre at 170 Main St., is submitting a request to the provincial government proposes a nurse practitioner primary care model with the addition of three full-time nurse practitioners to the roster at the Brighton clinic.
If the province approves the plan, more than 3,000 patients could gain access to a nurse practitioner as their “most responsible provider,” the FHT said.
The nurse practitioners would occupy two pods that are currently vacant on the upper level of the health centre that is comprised of family physicians, one nurse practitioner and other health care professionals.
“Given that the municipality invested in the health centre in order to ensure that space was available for primary care practitioners to see patients, we are pleased to see a plan from the team that would see more than 3,000 patients rostered in Brighton through a nurse practitioner-led clinic,” Ostrander told the Brighton Independent.
The Municipality of Brighton council recently heard from Wendy Parker, executive director of the Lakeview FHT, about the proposal.
“The family health team is proposing a nurse practitioner primary care model with the addition of three full-time nurse practitioners to (complement) the one full-time nurse practitioner practising in Brighton since 2008,” Parker noted in her correspondence to council.
“Approximately, 3,400 patients would be attached to a nurse practitioner as the (MRP).”