The Manitoba government is expanding access to primary care and reducing emergency room wait times by opening a new minor injury and illness clinic at the Grace Hospital in Winnipeg.
“We’re delivering on a promise made to Manitobans to invest in primary care and provide more options for non-urgent health care, because Manitobans shouldn’t have to wait for hours to have a health need attended to,” said Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara. “Having new locations able to address minor ailments, and cast, stitch, diagnose and test will take a lot of pressure off our emergency departments, make better use of emergency department resources and offer improved service to Manitobans.”
A request for proposals for the operation and management of this new clinic, along with a similar clinic at the Misericordia Hospital to replace the shuttered urgent care centre, has been issued. The Grace Hospital clinic is set to open in September and will operate similarly to the minor injury and illness clinics on Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg and in Brandon, noted the minister.
The clinic will be staffed by physicians and other health care professionals who will provide primary care services and support for minor health concerns including minor injuries. Patients will have the option to access services by walk-in appointment or by booking same-or next-day appointments. They will operate seven days a week and offer extended hours to fit families’ schedules.
