The province is moving forward to ensure that every Manitoban who wants a family doctor or nurse practitioner will have access to one by the end of 2015. This announcement was made by Health Minister Sharon Blady.
“Ensuring that Manitobans have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner who will provide them with ongoing care is a first step in building a more co-ordinated and accessible primary care system for Manitoba families,” said Minister Blady. “The Family Doctor for All commitment is about providing better care for all Manitobans and we are well on our way to meeting the commitment by the end of 2015. The Family Doctor Finder has already connected nearly 23,000 Manitobans with a primary care practitioner.”
The Manitoba government’s Family Doctor for All strategy is built on three main pillars:
- training and hiring more doctors and nurse practitioners;
- opening more clinics to offer additional care options; and
- innovating to develop better, more accessible care built around the needs of individuals, families and communities in Manitoba.
Since 1999, the Manitoba government has also seen a net increase of 665 doctors, 131 nurse practitioners and 3,703 nurses due to the creation of additional undergraduate medical education seats, post-graduate medical residencies, expansion of nurse-practitioner and registered-nurse education seats, and comprehensive recruitment and retention initiatives.
As part of its overall strategy to enhance primary care for Manitobans, the Manitoba government has opened 13 clinics that offer quality services to communities when and where they need it including:
QuickCare clinics located at:
- 363 McGregor St., Winnipeg;
- 17 St. Mary’s Rd., Winnipeg;
- 620 Dakota St., Winnipeg;
- Clearspring Mall, Steinbach; and
- Unit 3-1020 Manitoba Ave., Selkirk.
ACCESS centres located at:
- ACCESS Downtown, 640 Main St., Winnipeg;
- ACCESS Norwest, 785 Keewatin St., Winnipeg;
- ACCESS River East, 975 Henderson Hwy., Winnipeg;
- ACCESS Transcona, 845 Regent Ave. W, Winnipeg;
- ACCESS Winnipeg West, 280 Booth Dr., Winnipeg; and
- ACCESS Brandon, Seventh Street Health Access Centre, Brandon.
Mobile Clinics serving the following regional health authorities:
- Prairie Mountain Health, and
- Southern Health – Santé-Sud.
More than nine additional primary care clinics, including mobile clinics, are scheduled to open in areas across Manitoba over the next year.
In addition to the new clinics, the Manitoba government has added capacity in primary care by launching five of 14 planned My Health Teams, which are now serving patient communities in Steinbach, Brandon and the Seven Oaks-Inkster, River Heights-Fort Garry and St. James-Assiniboine South areas of Winnipeg.
Although not necessarily located in one physical space, My Health Teams are connected through stronger partnerships between primary care practices, the regional health authority and community organizations, Minister Blady said. She noted each team is a bit different as they are built around the needs of their specific patient communities, but all teams work together with their patients to offer more co-ordinated primary care than ever before. The goal is not only to improve access to care but to also provide Manitobans with a broader range of services to help them live better with chronic conditions.
The Manitoba government has also offered financial support to existing fee-for-service clinics to employ additional health professionals, like nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others, giving each of them the ability to accept up to a thousand more patients.
As part of the broader Family Doctor for All Strategy, the Family Doctor Finder service was also established to help Manitobans find a primary care provider in a convenient location. Manitobans who need a family doctor can register with the program online or by phoning 204-786-7111 in Winnipeg or (toll-free) 1-866-690-8260.
Family Doctor Finder helps support other innovative primary care initiatives, like My Health Teams, by connecting Manitobans who need access to their services, Minister Blady said. The minister noted the program has so far connected nearly 23,000 Manitobans who did not have one, with a family doctor or nurse practitioner since it launched as a provincial pilot in late 2013. The program aims to connect registered Manitobans who don’t have a provider with a doctor or nurse practitioner within 30 days or less by the end of the year, she said.
“With the numerous changes made to date and future plans, we are creating a more sustainable health system while ensuring better health outcomes for all Manitobans for years to come,” Minister Blady said.
