Funding, Plans for New Medical School Campus in Cape Breton

Nova Scotia will educate, recruit and retain more doctors with a plan to open Nova Scotia’s second medical school campus at Cape Breton University by fall 2025.

Today, March 7, Premier Tim Houston announced $58.9 million to develop the new campus, which will train 30 new doctors every year, in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s faculty of medicine. It will include a new collaborative care clinic at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Marconi campus, and an expansion of Cape Breton University’s health and counselling centre.

“The best way to make sure rural Nova Scotians have access to the healthcare they need is to train students who come from rural communities,” said Premier Houston. “This campus will focus on Nova Scotians who are excited to practice in rural communities. These students will become doctors who are ready to hit the ground running faster in our rural communities.”

A new medical sciences building will be the cornerstone of the Cape Breton medical campus, housing educational and research space to train the next generation of family doctors. Their education will include special training in rural health needs such as aging, frailty and disease prevention, as well as Indigenous health and African Nova Scotian health.

The health and counselling centre will become a key clinical training facility and its expansion will address the increased demand for healthcare among students.

These projects will advance Action for Health, the Province’s plan to improve and transform healthcare in Nova Scotia, by investing in education and training opportunities to ensure the health needs of communities are met.

Quotes:

“We need to provide better, faster care, and this second medical campus will do that by transforming the way in which we deliver care to Nova Scotians. This campus will train doctors with a focus on the care needs of rural Nova Scotians and directly offer care to more Cape Bretoners who need it.”

– Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness

“Transforming healthcare in Nova Scotia will take all of us working together. I am proud of how leaders in the post-secondary sector are stepping up to work together, be part of the solution and get things done to train more healthcare workers.”

– Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education

“We know that healthy communities are thriving communities and today, with this investment, we take a major step forward in improving the collective health of our citizens. We are deeply grateful to the Province of Nova Scotia for their faith in us and for investing in a healthier future for our community. Simply put, this investment will change the face of healthcare in Cape Breton, in rural Nova Scotia and the entire province.”

– David Dingwall, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cape Breton University

Quick Facts:

• the investment includes $49 million for the medical sciences building and related infrastructure, $6.2 million for the new clinic and $3.7 million to expand the health and counselling centre
• Cape Breton University has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dalhousie’s faculty of medicine to establish the new medical school campus
• Cape Breton University received one-time funding of $5 million from the Province last year for its strategic health initiative focused on healthcare training and enhancement outside the urban core

Additional Resources:

Action for Health: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth

Cape Breton University: https://www.cbu.ca/

Dalhousie University faculty of medicine: https://medicine.dal.ca/