City of Kingston launches Primary Care Clinic Expansion Grant

The City of Kingston is pleased to announce the launch of the City of Kingston Primary Care Clinic Expansion Grant, a dedicated initiative to increase access to primary care for unattached patients. The new grant, funded entirely by the municipality, will support health care practitioners and patients in Kingston.

The grant offers a one-time financial contribution of up to $100,000 for up to six eligible projects, with the goal of empowering existing local primary care clinics to broaden their services through the innovative use of technology, expansion of administrative support to address paperwork burden, and the addition of allied healthcare professionals to the primary care clinic setting.

The grant will be open for submissions from local primary care clinics from May 7 until May 21, 2024. To qualify, applicants must be registered as an established clinic within the City of Kingston for a minimum of 2 years using a practice enrollment model. Clinics must also demonstrate a commitment to enhancing sustainable patient access to primary care. Full eligibility criteria can be found on the grant application page.

“We see the need for more care options in our region. We know that as many as 30,000 Kingstonians don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “Our goal is that this grant will give clinics the boost they need to grow their capacity and ultimately, ensure that more unattached residents can be connected to a primary care provider.”

Since 2022, the City of Kingston has been working on numerous programs to attract more primary care providers to the region. This includes launching a Physician Recruitment program with incentives and relocation support, promoting registration on Health Care Connect for unattached patients, and now, the Primary Care Clinic Expansion Grant. This program has already brought 17 new doctors to Kingston.

Clinics wishing to apply should submit their comprehensive proposal by May 21, 2024. Applications will undergo review by an adjudication committee. Grant announcement will take place on June 12, 2024.

Questions can be directed to DTurkovic1@CityofKingston.ca.