New nurse practitioner-led clinic in Innisfil to expand care to over 3,000 residents

A new nurse practitioner-led clinic (NPLC) in Innisfil celebrated its official grand opening on Friday, as nurse-practitioners in Ontario have been advocating for increased access to funding.

The clinic, located at the Rizzardo Centre on Yonge Street, will provide several different services, including a dietician and counselling services and will help to fill a gap in access to primary care throughout Innisfil.

"We hear from residents frequently, I would say daily, that they want access to primary care services closer to home," said Innisfil mayor Lynn Dollin. "In fact, we've heard it so much that we included this as a priority in our recent strategic plan."

The site is the second under the Georgian Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic ownership group to have been created in Simcoe County. In 2011, a similar clinic was opened in Barrie, supporting thousands without a family doctor.

"There's 27 NPLCs right across the province," said Kevin Kevin Macleod, Georgian NPLC executive director. "I think what we've learned is how to collaborate with our regional partners and to make sure that we have that team-based care so we can wrap around the needs of the patient."

The clinic had its soft launch and began onboarding patients in October.

Macleod said it hopes to have over 3,200 patients by next year.

Residents interested in receiving care at the nurse practitioner-led clinic can register online, and because of high demand, the public is encouraged to register soon to secure care.