Healthy Neighbourhoods: Expanding Health Clinics for Everyone in Saint John
My second best volunteer of 21 yrs!
My son Marlon!! 🤩
Building on lessons learned to bring care to everyone faster and better.
By Bryan Wilson
The South End School project wasn’t simple—it faced years of delays and challenges. But this council stayed the course, balancing competing needs and making tough decisions to ensure it happened. Now, construction is underway, and the South End is on track to have a modern K-8 school designed to serve the community.
That success didn’t come by chance. It required listening, planning, and acting. Those same skills can now be used to help bring health centres, as our new provincial government has envisioned, to Ward 3. While city councillors don’t decide where these centres are located, they can play a vital role in ensuring they happen where they’re needed most—and quickly.
Ward 3: The Urban Hub Leading the Way
Ward 3 is already leading by example regarding healthcare access. It’s home to three community health centres that are models for what the province is now rolling out:
St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre – Serving over 10,000 residents with primary care and health promotion programs.
Saint John Uptown Health Centre – Offering walk-in care and collaborative services in the heart of the city. This is also where my family’s nurse practitioner provides care, a resource we deeply value and rely on.
Market Place Wellness Centre – Addressing the needs of Lower West Side residents with community-focused programming.
““The key to making health care work is meeting the needs of the community where it exists, not imposing a one-size-fits-all solution.””
These centres work because they are embedded in the neighbourhoods they serve. But there’s more to do. The populated neighbourhoods of the Lower West Side, Bayside, and parts of the city centre still lack adequate access to this new model of care.
By focusing on these underserved neighbourhoods and ensuring centres are placed in accessible, safe locations, we can create a Ward 3 where everyone has the care they need close to home.
What Councillors Can Do
While councillors don’t decide where health centres are built, they can help make them happen—and fast. Here’s how:
Advocating to the provincial government for health centres in the areas that need them most.
Requesting staff study local needs to help identify the best locations for new centres with the intentional of making them central.
Rezoning, preparing land for use as health centres, ensuring it fits within existing plans.
Infrastructure upgrades: Improving roads, sidewalks, and transit access to ensure health centres are safe and accessible for everyone.
These steps can clear the way for the province to act quickly, ensuring Ward 3 neighbourhoods are ready for improved access to care.
Putting the Right Pieces in Place
The South End School project showed us the value of persistence and planning. By applying those lessons, we can make sure Ward 3 is ready for new health centres—located where they’re needed and built to serve the community.
As your Ward 3 councillor, I’ll work to ensure we clear the way for these centres to happen. From lobbying the province to improving infrastructure, we can make health care accessible for everyone in our neighbourhoods.
"The key to making health care work is meeting the needs of the community where it exists, not imposing a one-size-fits-all solution." – Premier Susan Holt(Memory dump Sun Nov 17_…)
Bryan Wilson
Ward 3 Council Candidate – Putting your health first