A town councillor in central Newfoundland says the “family care team” created in Grand Falls-Windsor is not working. Even though it’s been about a year since the health facility was announced, Councillor Holly Dwyer says the only frontline staff is a nurse practitioner – no doctor.

She says it wasn’t that many years ago when some 15 or 20 doctors were in the town – now that’s down to five or six.

With a population of about 14,000, Grand Falls-Windsor is the hub in central, also servicing the south coast when it comes to several aspects of health care.

Dwyer says the family care team has brought 500 people into the fold since becoming “operational,” but, at that rate, it would take two decades to put a dent in the problem of lack of access to primary care. And, there is still no family doctor at the facility.

She says recent situations at the emergency department brought things to a head.

She says the average wait time in emerge is close to ten hours and she is taking numerous calls from people.