If you live in Markham, Stouffville or surrounding areas and don’t have a primary care provider, a new community health clinic could be just the remedy until you find a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Oak Valley Health has teamed up with the Eastern York Region North Durham Ontario Health Team (EYRND OHT) and Well Plus Compounding Pharmacy to open the clinic on May 15.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that primary care for the unattached population is a much-needed resource and we are working with our partners to continue to provide the communities we serve with safe and reliable health care services,” says Oak Valley Health President and CEO Jo-anne Marr.
“We are grateful to Well Plus Compounding Pharmacy and our EYRND OHT partners for their collaboration to allow us to provide care beyond our walls.” The Community Health Clinic is staffed by physicians and nurse practitioners and will see patients aged six months and older.
It isn’t a walk-in clinic: all patients must register for appointments at https://www.oakvalleyhealth.ca/community-health-clinic/. The clinic will assess and treat symptoms and conditions like cough, cold and flu; earaches; sprains and contusions; wounds and cellulitis; minor lacerations; abscesses; sexually transmitted infections; urinary tract infections; skin ailments; infections and gastroenteritis.
It will also assess and treat such chronic conditions as hypertension, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It will provide cancer screening to arrange PAP smear, colonoscopy or mammogram; prescription renewals; work-related assessments and notes; and pregnancy testing.
“What makes this clinic model unique is that not only are we able to see patients who do not have a primary care provider to coordinate their care, we also have access and are able to refer to partners in the community – such as acute care, specialists and diagnostic imaging – to ensure the patient care is fully supported,” says Dr. Cristina Popa, Medical Director and Physician Lead, EYRND OHT.
“It is our goal to see as many patients through this clinic as we can so that we can alleviate the Emergency Department and help people feel better faster.”
The clinic will provide care to individuals with COVID-19 symptoms. The COVID-19, Cold and Flu Care Clinic at Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital closed its doors on May 10. The Community Health Clinic is located inside Well Plus Compounding Pharmacy, 5402 Main St. in Stouffville. It will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
