At its last meeting of this term, Huntsville Council approved the establishment of a walk-in health clinic at the Huntsville Public Library Annex.
Municipal staff have been working with healthcare providers in the community to help establish a health clinic and alleviate the plight of residents who do not have a family doctor. The request was brought forward by Dr. Melanie Mar last July. At the time, it was estimated that about 1,700 residents do not have a family physician.
Mar told council many patients are not receiving preventative care or help to manage existing chronic illnesses and they’re winding up sicker and seeking care at the hospital Emergency Room (ER), which is overwhelming ER doctors who are having to discharge patients who often wind up returning because they don’t have a family doctor to guide them after discharge.
The clinic would be supported by the Town, community health care providers as well as Ontario Health. The library board has approved the use of the Annex for a clinic pending its review of the agreement.
The Town would be providing the space for free and fixing the parking lot at a cost not to exceed $60,000. The Town’s accessibility committee is also expected to inspect the premises to ensure they are fully accessible and with the aid of Ontario Health would cover all leasehold improvements and operational costs.
Huntsville Mayor Karin Terziano said that if all goes smoothly, the clinic could be up and running as early as this December.
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Like many respondents to this article I would like to thank Dr Mar and Huntsville town council for taking this initiative. When our new young doctor arrived about a year and a half ago we felt comfortable having a physician for years to come. Then “The Letter” arrived suggesting getting on a waiting list, but don’t get your hopes up.
What everyone should realize is that it is very likely that the waiting list predicted to be 1,700 in July will now be at least 3,000 with several senior GP’s in town who have earned the right to retire years ago likely to add thousands more to the waiting list. My concern is this walk-in clinic is likely to be overwhelmed the day it opens and waiting times will be equally long compared to the Hospital Emergency.
Here are a few statistics I gleaned from a recent CBC website article on the situation. First, 6,000 new doctors are currently waiting for accreditation of these about 30% indicate an interest in entering family practice (this number was 38% in 2015). Second, 1.8 million in Ontario are currently without a physician. Third, 20% of physicians in Toronto plan to retire in the next 5 years. Fourth, 1.7 million people in Ontario have a doctor over 65 years of age. Finally, I am not opposed to immigration, but the Federal government is on record with plans for 500,000 new Canadians per year for the next few years. The OMA is finally recommending that immigrant physicians with proper accreditation should be fast tracked into the medical field , which makes sense to me, even though I always thought the OMA had caused the delays.
So from my perspective access to a personal physician will be less likely for all of us for the foreseeable future and we must find ways to make family medicine more appealing to the young graduating doctors and get immigrating doctors working as doctors, instead of taxi drivers. It’s time to ask more of our Provincial government as well, because the status quo just won’t cut it for any of us without a physician.
Shane Baker
An election was won in our district, on the assertion that two full service hospitals will be built here. In 4, 8 or 12 years, with the expenditure of an estimated billion dollars, and down the road, our medical emergency is over! But don’t let relief sweep over you, because the problem still exists, now. Should that not be a something the government might be looking into, now? What to do. Apparently not a synapse is firing on the medical front.
I still enjoy reasonable health and have a local doctor. I haven’t even reached the grumpy and irritable stage; yet. But it is disconcerting when we have had to wait in our local emergency room, surrounded by worried and ill people.
So it is really gratifying to read that Dr. Mar and the Huntsville Town Council can rustle up an idea, formulate a plan, spot the endeavor some cash, and put it all into action. And all in less than 4, 8 or 12 years!
For a lot of people in need of medical help, this is real progress. Something less to worry about. Something not far into the (distant when you hurt) future.
To Dr. Mar and the Huntsville Town Council , we appreciate what you have done. A lot.
Thank you.
Thank you to Dr. Mar and the council for approving the walk in clinic at The Annex. The need is great and that location is perfect.
I know of many Huntsville citizens who do not have a family doctor and that is simply wrong.
This past weekend I would have visited the walk in clinic. Instead, I very hesitantly visited the emergency department. I needed assistance with the removal of a tick and to get a prescription for an antibiotic to prevent Lymes Disease. I had spoken to two doctor friends and also called Telehealth before visiting the emergency. All suggested that the tick situation be dealt with immediately. I visited the hospital at 6:30 am on Sunday.
Once at the hospital I immediately felt guilty. It was swarming with sick patients, particularly children coughing and crying. I understood that I was low priority, as the other patients were really sick. Five hours later I had the tick removed and received the antibiotics. I was grateful for the care that I received.
Had the walk in clinic been open, I would never have bothered those hard working ,exceptional medical professionals.
Great idea Dr.. Mar and Huntsville.
I am very relieved to see that there will be a walk-in clinic in Huntsville as I am one of those who has been “cut loose”, a senior floating in the middle of the health care ocean wondering what hit her.
I am also one of those who have been paying taxes to the provincial and federal government for many decades and one of those foolishly trusting individuals who thought there was a contract between the public and government that in return for this tax money, health services would be available. Apparently that is not the case. Several governments have had ample time to retrofit the system to prepare for predictable eventualities like a pandemic, the aging of the population, and the need for trained professionals; they have dithered and coasted along and now cannot cope with the situation.
Perhaps the public should engage in a class action suit against the provincial government charging breach of contract and betrayal of a trust between the public and the government. If we had been paying into an insurance policy for many years and our house burned to the ground we would expect the insurance company to pay the promised amounts to meet our housing needs. Why do we expect less from the government?
We are very grateful to hear of this essential service for so many without health care support in the community.
It is terrifying to wonder where to go for help.
It can keep you awake worrying how will essential prescriptions be refilled, how will senior caregivers manage to keep their senior partners stable enough to manage as long as they can can alone, before a crisis takes a trip to emerg to deal with a potentially unstable situation.
How can children and expectant mothers be manged without medical support.
This walk in clinic will be a godsend.
Thank you to Dr Mar for creative thinking and fto the council for supporting it.
The community is large enough to support this in every way and I’m grateful for this decision.
This is really good news. We do need a walk in Clinic – one does not need to end up in the emergency department in the hospital. Not everyone has access to a car to go to Bracebrige.
Am so happy to see this news.
I am incredibly happy to hear we will get a walk in clinic. Being as this is the first time in my life being left without a Doctor, Suddenly to receive a letter stating your Dr. is leaving and no replacement is more than stressful it is also frightening, Thank you Dt Mar for bringing this up to the town,
Marie Kaiser
Somewhat helpful news. The departure of Dr. Taylor leaves me without a family doctor for the first time in my 90 year life. Devastating!
This is wonderful news. Please, exploit the use of nurse practitioners. They are an untapped and invaluable resource, especially for those with chronic conditions that need following but not a doctor. Thank you to Dr Mar and everyone else who supported this idea.
Yaaaaayyyy, YES, about time…finding a ride to bracebridge (and oftn they dont keep regular hrs ther, u can go dwn to find they closed up early) isnt possibl for many people…we desperately need this, thank you!
This is a much needed service in Huntsville and long overdue. The location is good for those walking, driving or taking public transit. Congratulations to all who have enabled this initiative!
YAHOO !!! About time !!!
This is wonderful news for those patients who have been dropped by Dr. Taylor. I was not looking forward to the drive to Bracebridge.
This is a great step forward in providing much needed access to health care in our community. Thank you to Dr. Mar for initiating this project. I know there are many young new Doctors in our community as well as student Doctors with NOSM that can assist in providing a great service to our community as well as providing more opportunities for some of these students to gain first class experience and knowledge of our community. It may even entice more of them to make Huntsville their permanent home. Wouldn’t that be great?
Thankfully some thing is being done with DR. Taylor leaving and Dr. Ray away this is needed now more than ever. The drive to Bracebridge would be un affordable for some residents if not impossible.