Grand Forks recruits another physician as city targets full family-doctor access
Another family physician is joining the Grand Forks Medical Clinic this fall, adding to a recruitment effort the city says has recruited three physicians in about a year.
Dr. Neil Thurley will join the Grand Forks Medical Clinic this fall, where he will accept unattached patients and provide inpatient and emergency medicine at Boundary Hospital.
Photo: City of Grand Forks
GRAND FORKS — Dr. Neil Thurley will begin accepting patients who do not currently have a family doctor and will also provide inpatient and emergency medicine at Boundary Hospital, according to the City of Grand Forks.
The city's latest announcement says his arrival will give the clinic a primary-care team that includes five physicians and a nurse practitioner.
Thurley is the latest recruit under an effort that began after physician departures put pressure on the clinic and raised concerns about access to family medicine and emergency-room coverage in the Boundary.
Grand Forks council approved a 12-month agreement in late 2025 to cover up to $125,000 in fixed clinic expenses, including rent, utilities and licences. The aim was to reduce the overhead faced by physicians establishing practices in the community.
That agreement has since been extended through May 31, 2027, with regional partners also contributing to the effort.
The city says the recruitment work has put Grand Forks and the surrounding region on track to provide access to a family physician for all residents by December 2026.
The Sept. 11 announcement does not say how many residents remain unattached or how many patients Thurley is expected to take on.
Earlier recruitment has already connected previously unattached patients with primary-care providers.
Dr. Gary Sandhar began practising at the clinic earlier this year and had taken on a patient panel of more than 1,500 people by June, including about 300 who previously did not have a primary-care provider.
Nurse practitioner Renee Minor also joined the clinic this year after completing her practicum there. The city said she was expected to attach at least 400 previously unattached patients.
Thurley already has experience in Grand Forks. He spent three months training in the community during his residency under Dr. Mark Szynkaruk and recently completed additional critical-care training at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail.
He graduated from the University of British Columbia's Vancouver-Fraser medical program in 2024 and recently completed the St. Paul's Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program.
“For me, coming to Grand Forks was an easy choice,” Thurley said in the city's announcement.
He is expected to work both at the Grand Forks Medical Clinic and Boundary Hospital after joining the community this fall.
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