Primary-care clinic asks Nanaimo to help advocate for more funding
Published 11:18 am Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Nexus Primary Care Clinic, located in Nanaimo’s south end, is looking for the city to help the non-profit health facility to advocate for more funding as demands for its services continue to grow.
Heather Gonyer and Kari Jonker, nurse practitioners at the clinic, told council at its meeting on July 20 that Nexus is funded by the province through a primary-care network contract, and has a fixed overhead allotment that has not changed since the clinic opened in 2020.
“However, the cost of operating, rent, supplies and salaries have risen steadily within inflation every year, and we’re currently running at a deficit,” Jonker said.
“We have very few levers available to close that gap under our current funding model. We have had to let staff go because we couldn’t afford them anymore. We are being asked to do more for our patients with the same dollars that we had six years ago.”
Jonker said they are asking council for advocacy for additional funding in order for the clinic to have sustainable operations to continue providing the care to the Nanaimo community, and maybe for collaboration in the future for an expansion of the clinic, or the opening of a second location.
Nexus is a community primary-care clinic that delivers team-based, client-centred health care services.
The health service is provided through partnerships with other health-care professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, midwives, social workers, mental health professionals, and registered nurses.
Jonker said the clinic currently has more than 4,500 patients, and the numbers continue to grow.
“We feel we have proven that this (health-care) model works and the demand is real and rising, but the demand is rising faster than we can accommodate it,” she said.
Coun. Ian Thorpe asked Gonyer and Jonker if they had directly advocated to the government and communicated their frustrations with their funding for the clinic.
Gonyer said Nexus has brought forward their concerns to B.C.’s Nurse Practitioner Council, which has direct communication with the provincial government on behalf of the clinic.
“It’s not unique to our clinic, as nurse-practitioner clinics across the province are faced with the same thing,” she said.
“We have no other sources of revenue to increase operations.”
Thorpe suggested that the clinic write city council a formal letter requesting that the municipality write a formal letter of support for Nexus and its operations.
Coun. Janice Perrino asked if Nexus had contacted the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation for funding possibilities, and Jonker said she doesn’t think so.
“But I think we have somebody on our board that may also be also on that (board), so I’m sure we can get some information there,” she said.
Perrino said that when Nexus sends a letter to mayor and council, she suggested that they also send a letter to the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District, which she chairs.
“That’s important because we serve the entire region, from Bowser down to Ladysmith, and it encompasses health care and we can maybe help to give you a letter of support as well,” she said.
Mayor Leonard Krog said he doesn’t think Nexus will have much trouble with council when they make their formal request for a letter of support.
“But I make no promises,” he said.
“However, I think everyone’s conscious of how important access to health care is.”
robert.barron@nanaimobulletin.com