Release
Department of Health, Office of the Premier
March 23, 2026
SAINT ANDREWS (GNB) – An investment in a collaborative care clinic is expected to eliminate the wait-list of people in Saint Andrews and surrounding areas without a primary care provider.
“Improving New Brunswickers’ timely access to primary care is our number one priority,” said Premier Susan Holt. “By investing in collaborative care clinics like the one in Saint Andrews, we are strengthening team-based care and ensuring more New Brunswickers are connected to the health services they need close to home.”
All 603 residents of Saint Andrews and neighbouring communities now on the NB Health Link wait-list are expected to be attached to the clinic in six to 12 months.
The centre’s existing space is being renovated to expand clinic capacity and accommodate additional services. The project is nearing completion and is expected to be finished by mid-April.
The investment also supports an increase in staffing. A phlebotomist has already been hired, while recruitment will soon begin for a registered nurse, two licensed practical nurses, a licensed counselling therapist, a patient care attendant and two administrative support staff.
The team will support the succession planning of one of the centre’s long-standing physicians, who will be transitioning to retirement over the next few years.
The wellness centre is owned and operated by the Town of Saint Andrews. The collaboration among the municipal and provincial governments and the Horizon Health Network is meant to ensure residents have reliable access to primary care.
“Collaborative care works best when health-care providers, partners and communities work together,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “With the support of the Town of Saint Andrews and local partners and providers, this clinic will serve as the medical home for residents and connect hundreds of more people to the primary care they deserve in their own community.”
The government is providing $1.7 million to the Horizon Health Network for the infrastructure upgrades and additional staffing at the centre.
“On behalf of myself and council, the Town of Saint Andrews is extremely pleased to enter this partnership to enhance our medical facility and increase available services within the town,” said acting mayor Kate Akagi. “We offer thanks to the government and Horizon Health Network for the commitment for better health care in our community and all of New Brunswick. We are all excited by this collaboration’s many benefits it will bring for our residents moving forward, today and into the future.”
Primary care is one of six priority areas outlined in the provincial health plan. The government has committed to establishing and supporting at least 30 local collaborative care teams across the province by 2028 and has invested $30 million to expand the model in the 2026-27 budget.
The regional health authorities have been working with health professionals to expand team-based care, shaping the composition of each team based on community needs. Saint Andrews is the 14th collaborative care clinic announced by the government since April 2025 and the third this year, following Eastern Charlotte (Blacks Harbour district) and Nackawic-Millville.
The Saint Andrews Wellness Centre currently serves about 2,900 attached patients, providing primary care, counselling, physiotherapy and respiratory therapy services. The enhancements will support the addition of services, including blood collection and laboratory services.
“For more than 50 years, the people of Saint Andrews have believed in caring for one another close to home,” said Margaret Melanson, president and CEO of the Horizon Health Network. “What began in 1971 with the opening of the Saint Andrews Health Centre, made possible through local philanthropist Lady Beaverbrook and the dedication of this community, has grown into something truly special. This expansion builds on that strong foundation, creating more space for health-care providers to work together and support residents for generations to come.”
23-03-26
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Media Contact(s)
Meghan Cumby, communications, Department of Health, [email protected].