Celebrating four years of SCOPE Niagara
Press Release
May 26, 2026
For many primary care providers in Niagara, figuring out where to send patients — and how to get them timely care — isn’t always straightforward. Over the past four years, SCOPE Niagara has aimed to change that by connecting physicians to real-time specialist advice and support.
Through a simple phone call, fax or email, primary care providers can connect directly with hospital-based specialists, often securing outpatient referrals or clinical guidance without sending patients to the Emergency Department (ED). The approach has helped divert 96 per cent of cases that would have otherwise resulted in an ED visit, redirecting patients to more appropriate care pathways.
“Being introduced to SCOPE proved to be a genuine turning point in my career here in St. Catharines,” says Dr. Masood Dadras, a family physician. “Having moved from the UK last year, I found myself quite overwhelmed as a new clinician here, at times uncertain and unsure about referral pathways and local processes.”
Launched on May 25, 2022, SCOPE Niagara – Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience – was designed to do exactly what its name suggests: make it easier for community physicians to navigate the healthcare system and connect their patients to the right care, at the right time. A team of nurse navigators and specialists at Niagara Health offer real-time support for complex and urgent patients.
For many providers, especially those new to the region, SCOPE serves as a critical navigation tool.
“Myself and my clinical assistant and administrative team have been in regular contact with Niagara Health, often two to three times daily,” Dr. Dadras says. “Through this collaboration, we have been able to make our patients’ journeys significantly safer, more efficient and far more comfortable.”
What began with approximately 30 registered primary care providers has expanded significantly, now supporting more than 250 clinicians across Niagara. With that growth has come an increase in demand, reflected in rising call volumes and the steady expansion of services.
“SCOPE has really evolved based on what we’re hearing from the community,” says Sarah Furnival, one of two Niagara Health SCOPE Registered Nurses, who has been with the program since its start. “We’ve grown not just in numbers, but in how we’re able to support both primary care providers and specialists.”
Today, SCOPE supports a wide range of clinical pathways
SCOPE offers eight clinical pathways, including internal medicine, mental health and addictions, medical imaging, pediatrics, home and community care, nephrology, palliative care and Nurse Navigators.
“We started noticing patterns in what people were asking for,” says Furnival. “If we’re getting repeated calls about the same need, we look at how we can build a pathway to better support that.”
That approach has led to the development of new services, such as the pediatrics pathway, which helps connect young patients to timely care without the need for an Emergency Department (ED) visit.
At its core, SCOPE is about improving access to care while reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital.
“This collaborative approach has resulted in an impressive 96 per cent ED avoidance rate, successfully redirecting those patients to more appropriate care pathways,” says Tanja Groeneveld, Manager of Clinical Services, Niagara Health. “It’s a reflection of our commitment to safe, patient-centered care, delivered in the most appropriate setting.
The benefits are clear: shorter wait times, better patient experiences and reduced pressure on emergency services.
A navigation lifeline for physicians
“Physicians often call us asking where to send patients, how to refer, or what resources are available. Being able to guide them through that is incredibly rewarding,” says Rachel Humphries, SCOPE Registered Nurse, who joined the program in January 2024 as the Mental Health Nurse Navigator.
“The guidance, clinical advice and overall support SCOPE provides is truly exceptional,” says Dr. Dadras. “The service has made a meaningful difference to both my professional confidence and the quality of care we deliver.”
As demand has grown, so too has the infrastructure supporting SCOPE.
Enhancements such as working closely with a Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Flow Coordinator has helped streamline processes and improve access to urgent tests.
“During periods of system strain, most notably throughout the regional CT scanner replacement project, the SCOPE team and I played a critical role in managing complex and often difficult conversations with community partners,” explains Brittany Maitland, DI Flow Coordinator, Niagara Health. “Together, we helped establish realistic expectations around wait times while appropriately triaging and escalating cases requiring urgent clinical review.”
The team also supports those new to the community due to challenging circumstances, such as the recent influx of evacuees to Niagara Falls from Kashechewan First Nation in Northern Ontario.
“Working closely with community agencies, we helped coordinate urgent healthcare services for people facing significant barriers to care,” says Furnival. “We helped arrange timely diagnostic imaging, specialist consultations and clinic appointments to make sure patients get the care they need, when they need it. For many of these individuals, navigating the healthcare system on their own would have been incredibly difficult.”
SCOPE Niagara Health is also part of a larger network of programs across Ontario, connecting communities and enabling collaboration beyond regional boundaries. This means that even when care needs extend outside Niagara, SCOPE teams from other hospitals can work together to help patients access the services they need.
“The SCOPE program operated by Niagara Health is a provincial leader in connecting family physicians and nurse practitioners to timely resources,” says Pauline Pariser, Provincial Primary Care Lead, SCOPE Program.
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