Nurse practitioner not enough for St. George's clinic, mayor says

Western Health will start hiring nurse practitioners to fill vacant doctor positions in the Bay St. George area.

St. George's has not had a health-care provider at its clinic since December. For the last several months, residents have had to drive to Stephenville for medical care.

Western Health's solution is to hire a full-time nurse practitioner who can order tests and write prescriptions.

"I think you really need to develop a relationship with your primary care provider, and by changing this model I think we can do that," said Dr. Dennis Rashleigh, vice-president of medical services for Western Health.

Not a solution, residents say

However, some residents are concerned that a nurse practitioner is not enough.

"It's only going to be a stepping stone to the doctors," said resident Dave Callahan. "For serious issues needing immediacy, I don't see it being a [solution] at all."

Mayor Danny Conway said that once a nurse practitioner is in place, the town will begin lobbying Western Health for a full-time doctor.

"Is it an ideal situation? No. Most of the residents in St. George want a family doctor," said Conway.

"But we need something to build on … How Western Health delivers these services, we will be on the ball to make sure we get similar to what we had before or better."

Western Health has recently hired a full-time nurse practitioners in the nearby town of Jeffrey's. If the practice is successful, Rashleigh said Western Health may consider using this model for larger centres like Corner Brook where there are presently several vacant physician positions.

In the House of Assembly Wednesday, Health Minister Steve Kent said nurse practitioners are part of the solution for the doctor shortage in St. George's and nearby Jeffrey's.