Details of NB Health Link transition remain unclear
New Brunswick’s two regional health authorities are still figuring out how they’ll manage and operate the NB Health Link program – a new responsibility the RHAs will take on in the coming months.
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B ArchivesShoppingPuzzmoSalonBusiness AdsObituariesClassifiedsE-EditionNewslettersManage Print SubscriptionNew BrunswickNewsThe IssuesHealth careDetails of NB Health Link transition remain unclearStaff transferring to RHAs ‘will be communicated with’ shortly: VitalitéPublished Jul 02, 2026•Last updated 22 minutes ago•3 minute readYou can save this article by registering for freehere. Orsign-inif you have an account. Horizon Health Network will assume responsibility for this NB Health Link clinic in Rothesay and a handful of others across the province in the coming months. BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVESNew Brunswick’s two regional health authorities are still figuring out how they’ll manage and operate the NB Health Link program – a new responsibility the RHAs will take on in the coming months. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. 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Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsHorizon Health Network will assume responsibility for Health Link clinics in Moncton, Miramichi, Rothesay and Woodstock, as well as two sites in Fredericton, according to Margaret Melanson, president and CEO of the regional health authority. Up until this point, Medavie Health Services New Brunswick – a private company – has operated, on behalf of the government, the NB Health Link program, which provides primary care to patients waiting to be matched with a permanent health-care provider. Last month, the Holt governmentannouncedthe transition of the Health Link program to the province’s two regional health authorities, while the patient waitlist – also managed by Medavie – would become the responsibility of the Department of Health. Health Minister John Dornan has said the changes will “improve co-ordination” and “strengthen oversight” within the health-care system. The transfer of the Health Link program to the RHAs is expected to be completed next March, according to a government press release. A clear and concise roundup to start your weekday morning. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Morning Email Telegraph-Journal will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAt that time, Melanson said Horizon’s NB Health Link clinics will become family health teams. “We will ensure that all the patients that are currently seen through the NB Health Link model will not be unattached,” Melanson told Brunswick News in a recent interview. “They will continue to receive care – that will be seamless for the patients – but of course, there will be a transition with regard to administration, staffing and so forth as time evolves. ”Melanson said the plan is to have as “seamless as possible” of a transition for staff as well. Brunswick News asked Horizon if its NB Health Link patients will be considered attached to a permanent care provider and removed from the waitlist if the clinics will be considered family health teams once the transition is complete. The newspaper was told those details were still being sorted out. Vitalité Health Network has indicated that the “objective will be to gradually integrate and attach (NB Health Link) patients to primary care services over time, while maintaining access to services during the transition. ”“The specific (NB Health Link) sites that will transition to Vitalité Health Network are being finalized as we speak and employees transferring to each RHA will be communicated with in the next two weeks,” Vitalité said in an unsigned statement earlier this week. According to its website, NB Health Link has 11 locations, with five sites – Boutouche, Campbellton, Dalhousie, Edmundston and Inkerman – that would fall within the Vitalité catchment area. Planning work is set to take place over the summer on the NB Health Link transition, Vitalité noted, but “at this stage, no immediate changes are being made to patient care, services, staffing or day-to-day operations. ”“Vitalité is working with the Department of Health and partners to ensure a smooth transition, with patients remaining at the centre of all planning and decision-making,” the statement reads. “Continuity of care and service stability will be maintained throughout the process. ”More than 50,000 NB Health Link appointments were provided in the past fiscal year, according to Medavie Health Services New Brunswick. Almost 128,000 people were on the NB Health Link waitlist for a primary care provider as of May 31, Medavie said. However, government officials have said the actual number of unattached patients is significantly higher because not all those without a primary care provider are registered with the waitlist. 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