Yukon government signs letter to bring new medical clinic to Whitehorse
Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Yukoners will soon be able to enjoy greater access to primary care in the territory.
The Yukon government and Alliance Health signed a letter of intent this week aimed at expanding primary care access through the opening of a new primary care clinic in Whitehorse.
The letter of intent establishes a framework that will see Alliance Health responsible for the day-to-day operation of the clinic, while the Yukon Government will support in the recruitment of up to four nurse-practitioners.
The new clinic is expected to open in May and will operate out of the current River Valley Medical Clinic space alongside the River Valley Medical staff.
As of September 2025, roughly 4,500 people were on a wait-list to be matched with a primary care provider, according to the Yukon Department of Health and Social Services. The new clinic is expected to serve about 2,000 patients over the next two years, supporting the Yukon government’s goal of improving access to primary health care and helping recruit more health-care professionals to the territory.
“Improving Yukoners’ access to health care services is a top priority for our government,” said Yukon Minister of Health and Social Services Brad Cather, in a media release. “By adding nurse-practitioners in our healthcare system we are expanding access to primary care.”
While primary care is often handled by a primary care physician, often called a general practitioner or family doctor, nurse-practitioners are capable of handling many primary care needs such as diagnosing and treating illnesses, prescribing medications and performing some medical procedures. As a result nurse-practitioners are often leaned on as the foremost source of primary care in rural and remote communities where the nation-wide shortage of physicians is most acute.