Manitoba Health minister wants task force to examine QuickCare Clinics
From ctvnews.ca
Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen wants the effectiveness of QuickCare Clinics examined when the Manitoba government launches its wait times reduction task force before the end of 2016.
It comes on the heels of new data released Wednesday by the Canadian Institute of Health Information, which shows Winnipeg had the longest ER wait times in Canada for the fifth straight year.
The clinics were opened to help divert people away from emergency rooms to treat minor health issues. However, patients have reported issues accessing services at some of Winnipeg’s six QuickCare Clinics.
Julie Morris lives with multiple sclerosis and went to the QuickCare Clinic at 3250 Portage Ave. on Wednesday at around 3 p.m. to see a nurse practitioner about a sore throat.
Morris phoned ahead to make sure the clinic was open, but when she got there staff gave her some bad news.
“She said as long as you don’t need a prescription you can see someone, because we have no nurse practitioners on today,” Morris said. “For me the availability of service is really, really important. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to a QuickCare Clinic, but I really would like to see the services are available when you need it.”
Instead, Morris ended up waiting to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic, but she worries others may have ended up in an emergency room.
The Portage Ave. QuickCare Clinic she went to on Wednesday wasn’t even open on Thursday, it was listed as closed due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
Other locations in the city remained open Thursday, but there was no nurse practitioner at the McGregor Street location – only registered nurses, which means no x-rays or prescriptions. The Vermillion Road location opened at noon, but reported long wait times with only one nurse practitioner on staff and the St. Mary’s Road location reported a short wait but closes at 4:30 p.m.
A nurse practitioner was on staff at the clinic on Jefferson Avenue until 5 p.m. The clinic is open until 7:30 p.m. The clinic on Dakota Street had a nurse practitioner on staff until 4 p.m.
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