Healthcare professionals advocate for new Nurse Practitioner led clinic in Kingston

Story by Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist, under the Local Journalism Initiative.

A group of Nurse Practitioners and allied healthcare professionals are advocating to open a Nurse Practitioner led clinic in Kingston.

Nurse Practitioner Maryanne Green embarked on this project in May 2023, when the Ontario Government put out an expression of interest for new health centers. Green put together a proposal to open a hybrid Nurse Practitioner led clinic, hoping to utilize Nurse Practitioners and other health professionals to help address the primary care crisis in Kingston. 

“It's no secret that there's a lack of family physicians or physicians in general in this area,” says Green, “So if we shift our focus to the Nurse Practitioner population, I believe strongly that we can reliably start to close those gaps in health care and start to be able to provide those basic primary health care needs to the general public, easing the burden on our local hospitals.”

Despite originally expecting a response in the fall of 2023, applicants have yet to receive word from the Ontario Government regarding their submissions. To encourage a response, Nurses for Kingston have kicked off a campaign to raise awareness in Kingston. The group has created a petition to send to the Government, which they plan to send in the coming weeks.