FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick Green Caucus is reiterating its healthcare reform vision and priorities as the Health Minister launches her province-wide health consultation. The first virtual session will be taking place tonight in Sackville and will be followed by sessions in 14 other communities over the next two months.

“The government needs to take a holistic view of our healthcare systems and consider changes that will improve outcomes beyond ensuring accessible acute care and emergency services,” said Megan Mitton, Green Health critic and MLA for Memramcook-Tantramar. “This means implementing changes to improve mental health and addictions services, preventative healthcare, senior care, and addressing barriers, like lack of transportation to medical appointments, which disproportionately impacts rural areas.”

Green Party leader David Coon says the key to better health and better health care is to create an effective primary health care system that will ensure New Brunswickers easy access to their own health care team, which would include a mental health care practitioner.  

“We need a new deal with family doctors that would see them integrated into primary health care teams that would ensure we receive the comprehensive health care we need, when we need it, to care for our physical and mental well-being” said Green Party leader David Coon.  “This is the transformative change we need in health care.”

Greens Vision for Healthcare Reform Submitted to Health Minister: http://bit.ly/388RuIO.