Thousands to benefit from new ‘health homes’ in the Halifax area, province says

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The Nova Scotia government says more than 20,000 people currently in need of a family doctor will be served by three new “health homes” in the Halifax area.

According to the province, the Hobsons Lake Health Home in Beechville opened in June, while the Citadel Health Home in downtown Halifax and the Needham Health Home in the north end are expected to open by October, as long as there are no delays in construction or staffing.

It describes a “health home” as “a place where patients receive comprehensive care from a team of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurse practitioners, dietitians, social workers and other allied health professionals.”

The Hobsons Lake location will have capacity for about 8,600 patients from the Need a Family Practice Registry, the Citadel location will have space for about 6,000, and another 8,600 could be served at the Needham Health Home.

“These clinics will not only connect more than 20,000 people from the Need a Family Practice Registry with a primary care team, but also support long-term system transformation through multidisciplinary staffing, improved co-ordination, and a focus on patient-centred care,” said Kolten MacDonell, Director of Primary Health Care in Nova Scotia Health’s central zone.

Related:

• Family doctor waitlist drops slightly in May, says NS Health
• ‘Razor blade throat’ and summer viruses: what you need to know
• Nova Scotia only province to lose family doctors in 2016, report says

As of June 1, Nova Scotia Health says there are still 91,423 people on that list, representing about 8.6 per cent of the population.

The health authority says the 51 removed from the list in May were either attached to a provider or taken off the list as a result of ongoing work to determine if people still on the list have already been attached.