Gander’s New Health Centre Aims to Attract Healthcare Professionals

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has announced the upcoming opening of the Gander Community Health Centre, a facility designed to enhance family care and mental health services in Gander. Set to open later this month, the centre aims to attract healthcare professionals to the region, addressing ongoing recruitment challenges.

The new facility will serve as the home for the family care team responsible for Gander and the surrounding Gander Bay area. It will also include specialized services for mental health and addictions care. While approximately 50 staff members have been recruited locally, some positions, including a nurse practitioner and a family physician, remain open and are actively being filled.

Janet Morgan Little, the central zone director for primary and rural health care at Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, expressed optimism about the facility’s potential to draw more healthcare providers. “When you build it, they will come. And I’m a firm believer in that,” she stated. Little emphasized the importance of visibility in recruitment efforts, suggesting that as the facility opens and begins serving patients, it will become an attractive place for healthcare professionals to work.

Moving mental health care out of an acute care hospital setting is a key focus of the new centre. Mimie Carroll, regional director for mental health and addictions services, highlighted the commitment to creating a welcoming environment for clients. “We want to create an environment where clients can come and feel comfortable about their care needs,” Carroll said. “Home is best. We often refer to some of our services as a ‘hospital without walls,’ where clients can receive services and then return home, where they feel most at ease.”

The provincial government has committed to a $24 million investment for a 20-year lease of the new building. Patients seeking care can connect with a family care provider through Patient Connect N.L. Those without established connections can still access primary care services at the centre. In addition, the facility has partnered with women’s and children’s health services within Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services to provide care for expecting mothers who lack a care provider.

“The needs of pregnant women are definitely higher, and we want to ensure they receive the care they need,” Morgan Little added.

Similar health facilities are in various stages of development across Newfoundland and Labrador, with plans for a centre to open in the Bishop’s Falls area and another in Grand Falls-Windsor. The Gander Community Health Centre represents a significant step forward in enhancing healthcare access and quality in the region.