The two sides in a dispute over a nurse practitioner in Long Island need to sit down and try to work out a solution, the Nova Scotia health minister says.

The South West Nova District Health Authority did not renew Karen Snider's contract at the health centre in Freeport, leaving Long and Brier islands, as well as part of Digby Neck, without a full-time nurse practitioner.

That has angered people in the area, many of whom don't have a family doctor.

Provincial Health Minister Maureen MacDonald said she has asked district officials to meet with community representatives.

"I think the district health authority has a responsibility to be accountable to the people of that community," she said, adding both sides need to keep "open minds."

The district health authority has not said why it decided to let Snider go. Officials say it's a personnel matter.

Public comment regarding funding cut

But some people claim Snider was targeted because she spoke out about a cut in funding for an administrative assistant position at the clinic. Snider commented in a local publication and brought the issue up with her collaborating physician and other nurse practitioners.

After a public meeting Monday night in Freeport, some people were organizing letter-writing campaigns, petitions and a march on the Nova Scotia legislature.

A community spokesperson, Andy Moir, said the community is only willing to meet with district health officials if they are willing to discuss Snider's reinstatement.

The health authority is already advertising for a replacement for Snider. In the meantime, it's bringing in nurse practitioners on rotating shifts to keep the clinic open at least two days a week.

The clinic, which serves about 1,500 people, has gone through six nurse practitioners in the last five years.