A new donor-funded Community Health Outreach vehicle will provide primary care services to rural and Indigenous communities in Peterborough County while giving Trent/Fleming School of Nursing students hands-on experience.
Operating two days a week, the vehicle will serve Havelock, Ennismore, and Hiawatha First Nation, staffed by a nurse practitioner and eight second-year nursing students per academic term. Services include drop-in care for acute and chronic conditions, well-child visits, harm reduction supplies, and safer sex education.
“The Trent/Fleming School of Nursing is dedicated to educating nurses who can adapt to changing environments and deliver care where it is needed. The Community Health Outreach vehicle embodies that vision,” said Dr. Hugo Lehmann, dean of the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing. “By partnering with PCHC and through the generosity of our donors to Trent’s Momentous Campaign, we are advancing access to healthcare for Indigenous, rural, and underserved populations while ensuring our students gain the experience to become leaders in equitable healthcare.”
Ashley Safar, executive director of PCHC, added, “The demand for health care in Peterborough is greater than ever. Our mission is to meet people where they are, addressing not just medical needs but the broader social factors that impact health. The Community Health Outreach vehicle is exactly the kind of low-barrier, community-based care our centre is committed to providing. By partnering with Trent, we’re able to expand access to primary care and ensure more people receive the timely, equitable care they deserve.”
“Students gain so much by serving directly in communities and by being immersed in the realities of frontline health care,” said Erinne Stevens, nurse practitioner in the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing who will be leading the unit. “The Community Health Outreach vehicle will allow students to build clinical expertise while also learning what it means to provide care that is accessible, responsive, and rooted in community.”
Following the first-year pilot, Trent and PCHC hope to expand services, reach more communities, and involve students from disciplines such as social work. Schedules and locations are available at ptbochc.ca.
