Just under a year after the Town of Tillsonburg backed a temporary clinic led by nurse practitioners for residents lacking a family doctor, the Ford Government has made it a permanent fixture.
Apr 28, 2026 • Last updated 9 hours ago •
Oxford County MPP Ernie Hardeman visited Tillsonburg on Tuesday to announce a $5 million investment for a permanent nurse-practitioner-led clinic at 671 Broadway. With Hardeman are Jill Strong, Executive Director of People & Performance with the Thames Valley Family Health Team, Tillsonburg Mayor Deb Gilvesy, Teresa Martins, Executive Director of the Oxford Ontario Health Team, Stephanie Nevins, Executive Director of the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic and Jessie Rumble, Clinical Director and Lead Nurse Practitioner at the Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. Photo by Jacob Robinson
Just under a year after the Town of Tillsonburg supported a temporary clinic led by nurse practitioners for residents without a family doctor, the Ontario Government has officially made it permanent.
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Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman was at 671 Broadway on Tuesday to reveal that $5.2 million will be invested in a full-time clinic aimed at providing primary care for approximately 13,000 local residents. The clinic will occupy a space of 511 square meters (5,500 square feet) right next to where its temporary location currently operates.
“This is an important step forward in making sure people can get the care they need when and where they need it,” Hardeman said. “Access to primary care is key to having a strong health system. When folks have regular providers nearby, they tend to stay healthier and our hospitals can concentrate on urgent and specialized care.”
As more residents find themselves without family doctors-numbers growing into the thousands-Tillsonburg council teamed up with the Thames Valley Family Health Team, Oxford Ontario Health Team and Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic last year to extend services at their new Broadway location.
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The initiative helped nearly 1,000 locals access primary care services but didn’t fully address this rising challenge.
“Seeing how urgent it was for accessible healthcare options prompted our town to take action in hopes that one day the province would recognize its value and commit to something permanent,” remarked Tillsonburg Mayor Deb Gilvesy. “Today marks a pivotal moment in our community’s healthcare.”
“Accessing healthcare has been an ongoing worry for our citizens. Today’s announcement shows that our concerns have been acknowledged.”
Gilvesy particularly thanked several individuals including Stephanie Nevins from Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic who had dedicated years trying to find solutions.“When I first took office as mayor, Steph reached out saying she had applied since 2017 for funding towards establishing this nurse-practitioner-led clinic in Tillsonburg,” Gilvesy reminisced.“Her persistence paid off – year after year she submitted applications alongside Thames Valley Family Health Team until finally achieving success this year.” This accomplishment highlights her commitment and belief in what this community needs.”
Nevins expressed that joining the clinic could significantly change lives.
“Building trust with someone who understands your medical history and can support you throughout your health journey makes all the difference,” Nevins noted. “That continuity results in better outcomes overall as well as fewer emergency visits while fostering stronger ties within our healthcare system.”
The clinic aims to provide early issue diagnoses along with improved management strategies for chronic conditions while addressing mental health concerns too.
“Most importantly though is that people won’t have to navigate local healthcare alone anymore,” she emphasized.
The Ministry of Health is focused on connecting every citizen with either a family doctor or primary-care provider by 2029. To help achieve this goal , the province plans on increasing funding through its Primary Care Action Plan up to $3.4 billion from now until then.
“Today’s announcement brings us closer here in Oxford ,” Hardeman stated.
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