Minister Announces Sites Chosen for Primary Care Project

Pictou West, Caledonia, Springhill and Halifax are the four sites selected for the Strengthening Primary Care Evaluation Initiative.

That announcement was made today at Province House by Health Minister Jamie Muir.

"Nova Scotia is one of five provinces that will explore new ways of funding, delivering and managing primary care as part of a Health Canada initiative," said Mr. Muir. "It's an exciting project and one that will help to enhance health care services in the community, including increasing health promotion and illness prevention."

In accordance with the primary care project criteria, the four demonstration projects will focus on the role of nurse practitioners in a primary care setting, alternative funding for physicians and new information systems. A detailed evaluation of the project results will help to identify the parts of the primary care system that work well and should not be changed and the parts that require gradual change.

Primary care is an individual's initial and ongoing contact with the health care system in the community. This could range from treatment of acute illness such as pneumonia to health promotion and illness prevention. In addition, primary care helps to co- ordinate access to other levels of care.

The organizations selected to implement the four demonstration projects are:

• North End Community Health Center, Halifax: The centre serves a culturally- and demographically-diverse population in Halifax. The center has provided, along with acute and urgent care, health-promotion and illness-prevention programs through a collaborative practice among its various health care providers. It has a long history of community involvement and responsiveness. "The primary care project will help the North End Community Health Center to further meet the needs of this diverse population and it will build upon existing capacity within the community," said Dr. Anne Houstoun of the North End Community Health Center.

• Springhill and Area Primary Care Organization, Springhill: This organization has strong community support and clearly demonstrates that it meets the goals and objectives of the initiative. "Participating in the primary care initiative will increase access to primary care services, enhance health promotion and illness prevention, and create a move toward community-based care within our community," said Howie Spence, a community volunteer.

• North Queens Community Health Center, Caledonia: "The North Queens Community Health Center is an existing practice in rural Nova Scotia that has strong community support," said Dr. James Rafferty, a physician at the center. "It clearly meets the goals and objectives of the initiative, with particular emphasis on health promotion and illness prevention."

• Pictou West Primary Care Project, Pictou West: "This proposal demonstrates strong community linkages and overwhelming community support," said Janice Hamilton, a community volunteer. "Among its strengths are increasing primary care access and responsiveness to community needs. Collaboration was identified as key to improving primary care."

The four sites were selected by a steering committee and approved by the Department of Health. The steering committee comprised representatives of key community stakeholders, including the Medical Society of Nova Scotia, the Registered Nurses' Association, Regional and Community Health Boards, community health centers, the IWK Grace Health Centre and allied health professionals.

The results of the project will be shared across Canada as part of an agreement with Health Canada. The federal government is providing about $2.8 million in funding for the Primary Care Evaluation Initiative as part of the Health Transition Fund.