By Emily Stonehouse
It’s official. Minden Hills will be opening an urgent care clinic in the space that formerly housed the emergency department.
Spearheaded by the Kawartha North Family Health Team (KNFHT), the clinic is currently slated to be opening on June 30, to cover the buzz of the long weekend, and then will continue to stay open on weekends until all staff are in place. “We will be using existing staff from Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon for the time being,” said Marina Hodson, the executive director for the KNFHT, “and we will be continuing to work on recruiting staff to the site.”
Hodson held a public question and answer period on June 9 at the Minden Community Centre, at which point she navigated the many queries of locals in regards to what an urgent care clinic entails.
At the time, Hodson clarified that the clinic would be designed for injuries needing immediate attention, but are not necessarily life-threatening. Nurse practitioners at the site will be readily equipped to offer stitches, staples, and sutures.
The facility would also be for those who do not have primary care physicians, so folks can have access to medical care without going to the ED. Walk-ins and booked appointments will both be accepted moving forward. The facility will alleviate the pressures recently put on the Haliburton hospital site to provide care for injuries across the board.
In a press release issued on June 20 to announce the opening of the clinic, Deputy Premier and the Minister of Health Sylvia Jones finally weighed in on the Minden ED closure. “We recognize the need for all Ontarians to have access to convenient care, closer to home, no matter where they live in the province,” she said. “Ontario is proud to be a partner with community partners to help improve care for the residents of Minden and is supporting this collaboration with the investment to help the Minden Urgent Care Clinic open its doors.”
At the time of the Q and A on June 9, Hodson had shared that she had already applied for the funding for the clinic from the provincial government, despite the deadline not landing until June 16. By June 20, they had received the news that the funding had been approved. “They obviously expedited the review process,” she told the Times, “they recognized the needs, and moved the application through very quickly.”
In the press release, provided by the Ontario Health media team, it shared that the funding for the site will be provided by the Ministry of Health, as well as one-time investments to purchase equipment for the clinic.
“The quick action taken by the Kawartha North Family Health Team and supported by Haliburton Highlands Health Services, with support from the Ministry of Health is good news, ensuring Minden will have access to an urgent care clinic very soon,” said Laurie Scott, the MPP for the region.
Interim CEO of HHHS Veronica Nelson also supported the recent announcement. “Haliburton Highlands Health Services is pleased to support the KNFHT’s operation of an urgent care clinic at the Minden Site,” she said. “This initiative has led to an expedited implementation of an urgent care clinic for our community.”
The Minden clinic will open its doors on Friday, June 30 to Monday, July 3 from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., followed by weekends until fully staffed. Current hours of operation will be posted on the KNFHT, HHHS and Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team websites.
