Steinbach MLA and Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that a walk-in connected care clinic will be opening at Concordia Hospital next summer, providing access to care for area residents in need of same-day health-care services.
“This project builds on Concordia Hospital’s strength in family medicine and enhances the hospital’s role as a health resource to the surrounding community,” said Goertzen. “The changes will provide improved access to primary care providers in East Kildonan, North Kildonan and Transcona while extending the hours of walk-in care for the community.”
As many as half the people who come to Concordia’s emergency department on a daily basis could be appropriately cared for by physicians within a walk-in connected care clinic, said Goertzen.
As part of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s ongoing health-care transformation and commitment to improving access to primary care, the clinic will operate with extended hours daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will offer an alternative to urgent or emergency care for health concerns that are not life-threatening but which need to be addressed the same day.
In addition to the primary care services offered by a local MyHealth Team partner, the Concordia clinic will also have laboratory and diagnostic services on-site.
“Primary care is the foundation of health-care services and integral to health promotion and prevention,” said Lori Lamont, acting chief operating officer and vice-president of nursing and health professions for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. “This clinic will not only benefit residents in the area surrounding Concordia, but present an alternative to urgent or emergency care for health concerns that need to be addressed the same day but are not life-threatening.”
Concordia’s emergency department is slated to close mid-2019, freeing space that will be repurposed for the clinic, which is expected to open its doors shortly thereafter, the minister said.
“We are excited to define Concordia Hospital’s new role in Winnipeg’s evolving health-care landscape,” said Valerie Wiebe, chief executive officer of Concordia Hospital. “This clinic further reinforces our strong relationships with local MyHealth Teams, with community partners and as an important health resource for residents of northeast Winnipeg.”
Similar to the services offered at the region’s first walk-in connected care clinic, located adjacent to Grace Hospital’s new emergency department, the Concordia clinic will be staffed by physicians, registered nurses and other professionals who work with family physicians to diagnose and treat minor health issues to help patients avoid unnecessary trips to emergency rooms or urgent care.
“Access to same-day primary health services, like the walk-in connected care clinic, is an important element of community health services,” said Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk, chief medical officer of Concordia Hospital, and president of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians. “Walk-in connected care works in partnership with other clinics to create a seamless patient experience, relaying information back to patients’ primary health-care providers and, most importantly, connecting patients to a primary care provider if they do not have one.”
For more information on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s health system transformation, visit healingourhealthsystem.ca.
