NANB Thrilled Province is Implementing Family Health Teams in New Brunswick
FREDERICTON, JUNE 12, 2014- Following almost a decade of
discussion, debate and collaboration, the Nurses Association of New
Brunswick (NANB) is thrilled with today’s release of operational
guidelines to support the implementation of Family Health Teams as a
model for the delivery of Primary Health Care in New Brunswick.
“The Association has been actively participating and contributing to this
transition from a traditional/single-provider care model to a Family
Health Team approach for quite some time,” says Darline Cogswell,
President of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick. “Evidence
clearly demonstrates that primary health care, team-based models
implemented broadly have the greatest potential to improve not only
access and support sustainability but most importantly improve health
outcomes of the population.”
Family Health Teams are locally driven and community-focused. They
include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and a
broad range of other health-care providers, working collaboratively to
provide comprehensive, accessible and coordinated family health-care.
NANB believes that registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners
(NPs) have a key role to play in this transition by collaborating with
other stakeholders to develop, deliver and maintain such a system.
“We believe the contributions to the health and well-being of New
Brunswickers by RNs and NPs are invaluable, and the evidence of their
contribution must be considered by decision makers faced with the
need to restructure our health care delivery system for the future,” says
Cogswell.
New Brunswick’s RNs and NPs are well educated, highly-skilled and
experienced professionals, who will contribute to a revitalized health
care system that is sustainable, focused on primary health care and
committed to improving the health outcomes for all citizens.
NANB remains committed with government to ensure a successful
implementation of primary health care delivery models.
Furthermore, NANB believes that rigorous monitoring and evaluation
processes are essential to measure the impact of Family Health Teams
on health outcomes, the quality and safety of the service, and to inform
continuous improvement for the benefit of all New Brunswickers.
Click here for the original press release.