Closing Urban Indigenous Healthcare Gap Could Save Province Millions, Report Finds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

St. John’s, NL – A new cost-benefit analysis released today by First Light shows that gaps in access to primary care for the urban Indigenous community in St. John’s are costing the provincial healthcare system millions of dollars every year – costs that could be significantly reduced through targeted investments in culturally safe care.

The new report, The Health Equity Deficit: The Hidden Cost of Urban Indigenous Health Disparities in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, estimates that approximately 1,300 Indigenous residents in the St. John’s region currently lack access to primary care, contributing to avoidable emergency department visits, preventable hospitalizations, and crisis-level mental health and addictions interventions.

Using conservative estimates based on national, regional, and provincial health data, the analysis finds that closing this gap could save the provincial healthcare system as much as $4.4 million per year.

“These are entirely avoidable costs on top of the pressures our healthcare system is already facing. Indigenous people in Newfoundland and Labrador often face greater health needs and less access to primary care than non-Indigenous residents. When culturally safe care isn’t available, people are pushed toward emergency departments instead of getting the early care that prevents crises and reduces costs.”

Chad Bedard, Manager of Knowledge Mobilization at First Light

First Light plans to open an urban Indigenous health clinic this fall at our new headquarters on Quidi Vidi Road. Details of what the clinic will offer and why it is needed were announced last September. The clinic will provide culturally safe, trauma-informed  primary care for the urban Indigenous community in St. John’s. An updated version of the solution document that accompanied the announcement is now available online.

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