No expansion dollars

THUNDER BAY -- The Lakehead Nurse Practioner-Led Clinic won’t be getting the $350,000 it needs to expand.

Clinic administrator Kyle Jessiman on Friday confirmed the province has shot down the plan to add two new nurse practitioners, a registered nurse and administrative help, meaning 1,600 would-be patients will have to keep shopping for primary health care.

“The ministry has told us that’s not going to move forward, based on the fact they see capacity at other health-care organizations in Thunder Bay, and until that capacity is used up, their position is they want to make sure they’re using their funding efficiently rather than providing us with these two positions at this time,” said Jessiman from his McKellar Place office.

Provincial standards dictate patient lists numbers about 800 per nurse practitioner. With four in place at the south-side clinic, they’ve tapped out at 3,200 and have about 400 more on waiting lists.

The city’s other nurse practitioner clinic does have capacity available, Jessiman noted, but because the Anishnawbe-Mushiki clinic focuses more on patients in need of chronic care, it’s not necessarily the best solution. According to government-supplied figures, only 700 of the 3,200 spots are filled at Anishnawbe Mushkiki NPLC. 

The province’s decision will have an effect on people’s health in Thunder Bay, he said.

With up to 20,000 people in Thunder Bay living without access to primary care, the decision means continued potential overloads at other health-care sites.

“The lack of primary health care is going to mean people don’t have access to an appointment when they need it,” Jessiman said.

“They will resort to using emergency rooms and walk-in clinics, if they can access them.

“What we want to focus on is the access to primary health care and convenient times for patients, so it’s less stressful for them. They can deal with a problem when it arises and not wait until it becomes too bad and they have to use an emergency service.”

That’s exactly why 82-year-old James Lucas is so thankful the province provided funding to build the LNPLC in the first place.

Lucas’ doctor retired and he had no idea where to turn.

“I was struggling, going from one (clinic) to another and to the emergency. It wasn’t convenient at all. I’ve been here with this clinic for close to a year,” said Lucas, a lung cancer survivor.

“I’ve had some illnesses. I’m 82 years old and when you get that old, you have some aches and pains and these girls have been really good for me.”

While he admitted the nurse practitioner style of health care isn’t for everyone, it’s worked in his case and he’s a bit disappointed the province has said no to additional staffing.

Pam Delgaty is the lead nurse practitioner at the clinic and said Lucas isn’t alone.

“A lot of patients we did take on hadn’t had service for a few years, so they were happy when we came along to get their basic needs looked after, especially people who had chronic illness,” Delgaty said.

She’s concerned. To the best of her knowledge, no family doctors in the city are accepting new patients, roles clinics like hers were supposed to fill when the province first announced them late last decade.

“It is really limited anywhere in town that’s taking new patients … There’s nowhere that people can go to.”

David Jensen, a spokesman for the MInistry of Health and Long-Term Care, said the clinic has four full-time nurse practitioners, which is the maximum approved for the province's 25 NPLCs. 

"Expansion of hte program is not being considered until all clinics are open and evaluative information is available to support future decision-making," Jensen said, adding there are three family health teams in the city that are accepting new patients.