Thousands of de-rostered Sault residents are receiving calls as the Group Health Centre has begun reconnecting them with primary care providers

Some formerly de-rostered patients at the Group Health Centre recently received phone calls informing them they have been once again attached to a primary care provider.

“For our staff who are making those phone calls, it is, I think, the best part of their job,” said Dr. Jodie Stewart, president and CEO of the Algoma District Medical Group during a press conference today.

“It is just so rewarding to be able to call thousands of people and tell them they have a new provider, either immediately or coming in a very near future.”

At that press conference, the Group Health Centre announced it’s in the process of re-rostering 8,000 people by December and efforts will continue with a total goal of 14,000 patients by 2027.

A random selection process is being used by the GHC to re-roster patients, aside from 450 ACC patients who were accessing the most acute healthcare services who were immediately re-rostered.

Three physicians have recently been recruited through a program aimed at allowing internationally-trained physicians to practice family medicine, with two more physicians being added in the coming months.

“That’s 14,000 patients who will be connected to primary care from the Access Care Clinic through the programs we’ve implemented and the recruitment we’ve made,” said Stewart.

The 14,000 number, which is higher than the number of patients currently de-rostered, is being targeted to help deal with upcoming retirements.

Tuesday’s announcement was made possible due to a $2.8-million Ministry of Health investment in the Access Care Clinic, provider retention and support initiatives, as well as the Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner program.

The 8,000 who are being called represent almost all of the approximately 8,500 de-rostered patients that are currently being served at the Access Care Clinic, which was put in place as a temporary measure to serve those who lost their primary care provider at the GHC.

The Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner program helps local registered nurses transition to becoming a nurse practitioner.

“We just celebrated our first graduate of this program a few weeks ago and this was a big milestone for our organization as well as for our community,” said Lil Silvano, GHC’s president and CEO.

In 2024, the Group Health Centre brought on three nurse practitioners, which allowed it to re-roster 2,500 patients from the Access Care Clinic. 

Recently, Group Health recruited two new nurse practitioners to work from the Access Care Clinic.

“The Access Care Clinic was put in place to support those patients who lost their primary care provider on or after May 31. The ACC, as we call it, was not meant to be a long-term solution. However, it is a vital bridge while we work to rebuild capacity within our organization,” said Silvano.

For the Group Health Centre, the past year has been focused on restoring access to primary care.

“The recruitment and retention of providers over the last year has allowed us to roster thousands of patients back to a primary care provider. At the Group Health Centre, we are committed to ensuring that every member of our community has access to primary care,” said Silvano.

In addition to the primary care providers that have been recruited, Group Health has also recently brought on a number of specialists.

“In the past year, we’ve successfully recruited a pediatrician who specializes in adolescent medicine, a family physician with expertise in psychiatry and addictions, an obstetrician gynecologist, a specialist in sports medicine, a specialist in pediatric mental health and we have additional specialists already scheduled to join us in 2026,” said Stewart.

Group Health has also added a dedicated referral coordinator to assist with scheduling patient referrals.

“This is an RPN who has been immensely helpful in the very tedious task of referring patients to specialists. She stays current on what providers will accept referrals across the province and for which conditions,” said Dr. Melissa Hemy, who practices at Group Health.

The re-rostering announcement came along with the presentation of Group Health’s most recent strategic plan.

“Our new strategic plan reflects what’s important to us and what’s important to our community, and it places primary care access and patient roster at the heart of our mission,” said Susan Vanagas-Cote, chair of Group Health’s board of directors.

“I want to thank our community for their patience and for their trust. We’re building stronger together and I think that we can confidently say the future of health care in Sault Ste. Marie is not just hopeful, it’s actually happening,” said Vanagas-Cote.

An appeal was made during the press conference for an extension of the provincial funding to keep the progress moving forward.

“We continue to advocate for funding beyond March 2026, because we need more time to build capacity within our community,” said Silvano.