A Local Family Health Team to Improve Access to Care in the Caraquet and Bertrand Areas
Caraquet, Thursday, October 15, 2026 – Vitalité Health Network is announcing the creation of a local family health team at the Clinique médicale de la Baie, which will provide more residents of the Caraquet and Bertrand areas with access to primary care closer to home.
The initiative was announced on October 14 in the presence of New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and Minister of Health Dr. John Dornan.
Under the leadership of Dr. Carl Boucher, the Clinique médicale de la Baie has been serving patients since June 2026. The clinic currently provides care to 690 patients and aims to increase that number to 1,570 with its existing staff.
The team consists of one physician, two nurse practitioners, two administrative staff members and one social worker. Plans are also underway to recruit two additional nurse practitioners to increase the clinic's capacity and provide more people with access to a primary care provider.
“Thanks to Dr. Carl Boucher's leadership, a dedicated team is already caring for hundreds of patients in the region, with the ambition of serving many more,” said Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network. “The future of primary care depends on collaboration among health professionals. By bringing their expertise together around patients' needs, we can provide more comprehensive, better coordinated care tailored to each individual.”
The local family health team model allows patients to benefit from the expertise of different health professionals based on their needs. This approach supports comprehensive care, particularly for people with complex health conditions or those requiring regular follow-up. It also helps ensure better continuity of care.
The provincial government has provided $617,442 in funding to Vitalité Health Network to support staffing, recruitment and the clinic's operational needs.
“By investing in collaborative care clinics, we are bringing more health professionals together to provide primary care to more people,” said Premier Susan Holt. “This approach helps people get the care they need, when they need it, and closer to home.”
The establishment of this new team is part of Vitalité Health Network's ongoing efforts to improve access to primary care and expand community-based services that meet the needs of local populations.
At the end of the last quarter, the Network had 35 active local family health teams, 18 of which were already providing timely access to care within 48 hours.
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