March 26, 2024 | Moncton (New Brunswick) | Health Canada

Canadians deserve health care and long-term care systems that give them rapid access to health services when and where they need them, while also having the opportunity to age with dignity close to home.

Therefore, the Honorable Mark Holland, Minister of Health of Canada, the Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs of Canada, on behalf of the Honorable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health of Canada, the Hon Bruce Fitch, Minister of Health of New Brunswick, the Honorable Sherry Wilson, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Services of New Brunswick, and the Honorable Kathy Bockus, Minister of Seniors of New Brunswick, on behalf of Jill Green, Minister of Social Development of New Brunswick , today announced two bilateral agreements totaling more than $430 million to improve health and long-term care services and access in New Brunswick.

As part of the agreement CollaborateThe Government of Canada will provide more than $313 million to support New Brunswick's three-year action plan to improve its health care system. This plan will support ongoing initiatives in New Brunswick to:

• Improving the quality and accessibility of primary care across the province
  • Allow nurses to provide non-urgent patient care as an alternative to emergency room visits.
  • improving access to early detection of lung cancer and cervical cancer;
  • Invest in a mobile x-ray program for nursing home residents to reduce the number of transfers and non-urgent hospital visits;
  • increasing the accessibility of insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring technology;
  • This allows pharmacists to assess and treat common illnesses, reducing the need for patients to seek treatment in hospitals.
• Support healthcare workforce recruitment, retention and training initiatives and reduce backlogs
  • Providing financial incentives to recruit physicians in rural areas and underserved communities, including certain French-speaking communities;
  • Support the transition of up to 10 internationally trained health professionals into the workforce each year through a practice assessment program;
  • Promote the retention of healthcare professionals by implementing initiatives to improve safety and reduce stress in the workplace;
  • Continue hip and knee surgery initiatives that reduce complications, hospitalizations and readmissions;
  • Increase the availability of cataract surgery options for New Brunswick residents by establishing additional publicly funded cataract surgery clinics, including in Miramichi and Bathurst.
• Expanding the provision of mental health and substance use services
  • Improving mental health and addiction treatment services for Indigenous communities in New Brunswick by funding telepsychiatry services for First Nations youth;
  • Build a partnership with First Nations to form a multidisciplinary team to directly support young people with addiction and mental health issues.
  • Integrate community mental health services, including treatment centers in Campbellton and Moncton, for youth with complex mental health needs.
• Modernize health data systems so more patients have access to health care
  • Improve the timeliness of access to virtual and in-person primary care through VisitNB and NB Health Link for people who do not have a primary care provider;
  • Consolidate regional systems into a single nationwide clinical information solution to store medical images and create integrated, bilingual hospital clinical records to ensure patient information is available at every point of care.

Additionally, under the Aging with Dignity Agreement, the Government of Canada will provide nearly $117 million to support New Brunswick's five-year action plan to help its residents age with dignity close to home and Having access to home care in a secure long-term care facility. This funding will support ongoing efforts in New Brunswick to:

• Improving home and community care systems, including palliative care
  • Strengthening rehabilitation services for older people through improved clinical services in adult nursing homes;
  • Implement programs to provide older adults at risk of hospitalization with rapid access to community health and social services that keep them in their community.
  • Implementation of Community Care NB, an electronic record-keeping solution that facilitates the treatment of people in their homes;
  • Support palliative care centers that ensure continuity of care for end-of-life patients and their families.
• Strengthening nursing staff
  • Create a web portal for partners providing services to social development clients to improve service delivery, reduce waiting times and reduce pressure on home care by supporting 47 home support organizations and expanding scope to 508 long-term care facilities.
  • Recruit and retain frontline nurses through skills-building programs, initiatives to improve workplace culture, and increased support for newcomer settlement services;
  • Implement various recruitment and retention support initiatives to help address workforce challenges in the LTC sector;
  • Improve employee training across the LTC continuum. This will cover various aspects of care such as: B. Dementia care, workplace safety and cultural safety to improve the LDS system as a whole and meet the unique needs of older adults, including Indigenous populations.
• Improving the quality and safety of long-term care
  • Upgrading essential equipment in long-term care facilities, including ventilation systems, call bells and beds in nursing homes;
  • Implement a funding program for the purchase of essential equipment for specialty nursing homes to meet greater care needs with the goal of preventing early nursing home admissions;
  • Piloting a flexible model of shared beds in two specialty care homes to support aging in the community and reduce pressure on hospitals.

Progress on these large-scale initiatives and commitments will be measured against goals that New Brunswick will report publicly on annually.

Under these new agreements, the governments of Canada and New Brunswick will work together to improve the way health information is collected, shared, used and communicated. simplifying the recognition of foreign qualifications for internationally trained health professionals; Facilitating the mobility of key health workers in Canada; and will take shared responsibility to ensure respect Canadian Health Act to protect Canadians' access to health care based on their need rather than their ability to pay.

Recognizing the significant gaps in Indigenous health outcomes, the Governments of Canada and New Brunswick are also committed to working meaningfully with their Indigenous partners to improve access to quality and culturally sensitive health services. adjusted. New Brunswick's action plan is based on the continued participation of its Indigenous partners and builds on recent trilateral discussions involving the federal government. All levels of government, within their respective jurisdictions, will make health-related decisions in a manner that promotes respect and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

New Brunswick and the federal government will continue to work together to improve health and long-term care services for everyone in the province who needs them, including meeting the needs of Indigenous peoples.