Port Hope’s Walk-in clinic recently reopened to serve people in Northumberland without a doctor. Cobourg will soon get a new walk-in clinic. The county also has several telemedicine outlets in pharmacies and grocery stores.
The show: Part one: Finding help – Walk-in clinic and telemedicine
The show: Part two: Getting help – Doctor recruitment
The full interview: Parts one and two com
Your toddler has a fever that does not seem to break. You are a senior who needs a prescription renewal to treat a chronic condition. Your cold is getting worse, not better.
For some in Northumberland, it is a call to your physician or, in the lingo of the healthcare sector, primary care giver. But for those without a doctor, it is a real problem. Where do you go?
The maze of services can be confusing. Do you use virtual visits at a local pharmacy or grocery store? What about a walk-in clinic? Then, there is the emergency room in Campbellford or Cobourg.
If you go online, you can’t even find a single list of the options for the county. However, if you browse social media on any given day, you will find at least one person appealing for advice on finding help nearby.
There are no simple answers. This is one of the complex questions the Ontario Health Team—Northumberland is trying to resolve.
Today’s entire show is dedicated to figuring out a path through this maze.
You will hear from three key people tackling the crisis: Susan Walsh, CEO of Northumberland Hills Hospital; Taryn Rennicks, Executive Director for Community Health Centres Northumberland; and Andrea Groff, Executive Lead for the Ontario Health Team – Northumberland.
An estimated 8,000 people live in Northumberland without a doctor or Nurse Practitioner. Within the next two years, the number is expected to rise to 25,000.
The first part of this in-depth interview examines the role of walk-in clinics and telemedicine. Port Hope’s walk-in clinic reopened recently, and a new one is opening shortly in Cobourg. Another telemedicine service recently opened in a pharmacy in Port Hope. It joins several others in Grafton, Brighton, and Campbellford.
The second part explores doctor recruitment, as the health team works to create a single body to attract doctors and nurse practitioners to the county.
Listen carefully to decide if what is being done is enough to address the need for access to care within Northumberland.
Originally aired: October 11, 2024