The people of Barrie to benefit from a new NP-led clinic

TORONTO , Nov. 16 /CNW/ - The people of Barrie will soon have greater access to primary care thanks to today's announcement by the provincial government to fund a Nurse Practitioner (NP) clinic at Georgian College.

"Nurse practitioners and all nurses take pride in this great achievement," said Wendy Fucile , president of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). "This clinic will allow NPs working in collaboration with other health-care providers to provide residents of the Simcoe County area with the timely and high-quality primary care services they need and deserve."

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education and decision-making competencies in assessment, diagnoses, treatment and health-care promotion. They have legislative authority to treat common illnesses and injuries, manage chronic diseases, prescribe medications, and order a variety of lab and diagnostic tests, including x-rays and ultrasounds.

"We're thrilled that access to primary care is being expanded in this city," said Doris Grinspun, executive director of RNAO, who was on hand at the announcement made by Premier Dalton McGuinty. "We know that Barrie is one of the country's fastest growing cities. Right now, 30,000 residents do not have access to a primary care provider but that will change when this clinic opens its doors."

The clinic will be housed at Georgian College and will be open for students, faculty as well as members of the general public. It will have several NPs, collaborating physicians and will also offer physiotherapy, dental, pharmacy and eye care services.

"Nurse practitioners are making a huge contribution to the health and well-being of the public at large and our health-care system in general, and we look forward to hearing more of these announcements in the weeks to come because many other communities are waiting for this kind of expansion in primary care," says Paula Carere, president of the Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO). "Nurse practitioners are helping to transform the health-care system from illness care to prevention and promotion," she adds.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses wherever they practise in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has lobbied for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.

The Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO) is the professional association representing nurse practitioners in Ontario since 1973. NPAO is an expert group of RNAO for issues related to nurse practitioner practice.

NPAO's mission is to achieve full integration of Nurse Practitioners to ensure accessible, high quality health care for Ontarians.

For more information about RNAO, visit our website at www.rnao.org. You can also check out our Facebook page at www.rnao.org/facebook and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rnao.

For further information: Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Phone: [phone] ext 209, Cellular: [phone]