Thousands of New Brunswickers still lack access to a family doctor, but in St. Andrews, one physician is addressing the shortage with a team-based model she hopes other communities will adopt.

Dr. Julie Levesque-Taylor, who returned to her home province from Manitoba four years ago, leads the Coastal Communities Health Home, operating out of the community-funded St. Andrews Wellness Centre. Alongside a nurse practitioner and a registered nurse, she’s reshaping how primary care is delivered in the region.

“You either shorten visits or patients wait weeks to be seen,” she said, highlighting the pressure the traditional solo-doctor model places on both physicians and patients.

Dr. Levesque-Taylor is implementing the Patient Medical Home model, a framework developed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada that emphasizes team-based care supported by strong infrastructure, especially electronic medical records.

“The foundation of the house is the infrastructure,” she explained. “Without that, we would not be nearly as far ahead as we are right now in our planning.”

Her practice distributes responsibilities across the care team. Nurse practitioner Morgan Stevens of St. George recently joined, and together they manage urgent care, maintain digital records, and offer evening appointments—all of which help reduce unnecessary ER visits. When Dr. Levesque-Taylor is away, Dr. Sherise Drost of St. George steps in, ensuring continuity of care.

The clinic’s ability to grow is largely thanks to support from Family Medicine New Brunswick, a partnership between the New Brunswick Medical Society and the Department of Health. That support has made it possible to hire additional staff and install electronic systems. With these resources in place, Dr. Levesque-Taylor anticipates adding about 400 new patients this year.

She argues the traditional model of family medicine—still prevalent across the province—is outdated and contributes to burnout.

“Most physicians in New Brunswick are practising in a model where they are the only clinical resource in the team,” she said. “That structure is unsustainable as patient demand continues to rise.”

While the province has pledged to open 30 community health clinics by 2030—10 of them this year—Coastal Communities Health Home remains independent. Still, its approach aligns with the province’s broader goals to improve access to primary care.

Local factors have made the need for innovation even more urgent. In nearby St. Stephen, the recent departure of several physicians has added pressure to the region’s healthcare system. Dr. Levesque-Taylor’s practice has absorbed part of that demand, demonstrating the need for scalable solutions that go beyond isolated clinics.

She encourages medical students and physicians from Charlotte County to consider returning home to practise.

“If you are a Charlotte County person and you want to come home and serve your community as a physician, we want to talk to you immediately,” she said.