Grand Forks extends medical clinic support agreement through May 2027

GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks city council has approved a six-month extension of an agreement covering fixed operating costs at the Grand Forks Medical Clinic as the community continues its efforts to recruit and retain primary care providers.

The agreement will now remain in place until May 31, 2027.

The extension builds on a one-year pilot program introduced earlier in 2026 after physician departures created concerns about access to primary care and the clinic’s long-term future.

The funding partnership includes the City of Grand Forks, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Electoral Area D director Linda Kay Wiese, Area E director Sharen Gibbs and the Christina Gateway Community Development Association, with support from Area C director Grace McGregor.

The partners are helping cover the clinic’s fixed operating expenses, reducing some of the financial barriers faced by physicians and nurse practitioners considering establishing practices in Grand Forks.

Mayor Everett Baker said the arrangement has produced early results and that continuing it will provide stability as recently recruited health-care providers establish their practices.

Baker said the city is seeing “clear progress and success” from its investment in the clinic.

According to the city, the Grand Forks Medical Clinic faced the risk of eventually closing about six months before the extension was announced.

The city’s June 29 release identified two recent additions to the clinic team: nurse practitioner Renee Minor, who joined in May, and Dr. Gary Sandhar, who joined the clinic in December.

Minor completed her nurse practitioner practicum at the Grand Forks clinic, primarily under the supervision of Dr. Mark Szynkaruk, before deciding to remain in the community.

She is expected to accept at least 400 patients who do not currently have a family doctor.

Minor previously worked as a registered nurse for 30 years in several specialties, including travel-nursing assignments in northern British Columbia and Alberta.

Sandhar has taken over a patient panel of more than 1,500 people, including approximately 300 who previously did not have a primary care provider.

Szynkaruk said covering the clinic’s fixed costs reduces the financial risk for practitioners considering joining the clinic and provides greater stability for recruitment and retention.

The clinic currently has five full-time physicians and one nurse practitioner. Located at 7486 Second Street in downtown Grand Forks, the general practice clinic operates Monday to Friday and has been in operation for about 40 years.

It currently serves as many as 6,400 residents and can serve approximately 7,500 patients when fully staffed.

Physicians practising at the clinic also contribute to coverage at Boundary Hospital. The city said that coverage helps reduce pressure on the hospital’s emergency department.

The city plans to monitor the agreement during the extension period, including the clinic’s long-term recruitment results and the number of patients connected with primary care providers.

Photo caption: Grand Forks and regional representatives join members of the Grand Forks Medical Clinic team. Top row, from left: Coun. David Mark, Mayor Everett Baker and RDKB Area D director Linda Kay Wiese. Middle row: Tracey MacGregor of the Christina Gateway Community Development Association, Coun. Deborah Lafleur and Coun. Christine Thompson. Bottom row: Area C director Grace McGregor, Dr. Gary Sandhar, Dr. Mark Szynkaruk and nurse practitioner Renee Minor.