November 2, 2015
New QuickCare Clinic will Provide More Primary Care, Ease Wait Times for Families in West Winnipeg: Premier Selinger
The construction of a new QuickCare clinic in west Winnipeg is set to begin and when complete, will offer more primary health-care options for families and help to reduce wait times at the Grace Hospital, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“Providing Manitobans with convenient access to the health care they need closer to home is a major a priority for our government,” said Premier Selinger. “The new Winnipeg West QuickCare clinic will provide high-quality primary care options in the community and help to address emergency room wait times at the Grace Hospital.”
Premier Selingernoted that when finished, the Winnipeg West QuickCare clinic will complete the Manitoba government’s initial commitment to create eight QuickCare clinics. These clinics are part of a broader provincial plan to ensure any Manitoban who wants one will have a family doctor or nurse practitioner by the end of 2015.
These clinics are staffed by registered nurses and nurse practitioners who diagnose and treat minor health issues, helping people avoid unnecessary trips to an emergency room or having to wait for regular clinic hours. They work jointly with local physicians and clinics, as part of My Health Team, to build strong and co-ordinated care options for families, the premier said.
“With more than 150,000 patients seen to date,QuickCare clinics are a true primary care success story for Manitoba,”said Health Minister Sharon Blady. “Their focus on continuity of care and patients’ overall health needs have made our primary care system stronger and have helped ensure that patients are connected with additional resources that they need, such as the Family Doctor Finder.”
The minister noted the Manitoba government has already opened five nurse practitioner-led QuickCare clinics. Construction of two more clinics, in Southdale and Seven Oaks, is also underway, Minister Blady said. The Winnipeg West QuickCare clinic, which will be located at3250 Portage Ave., is expected to be ready to welcome patients in early 2016, she added.
“Access to timely primary care services is important to Winnipeg families,” said Milton Sussman, President and CEO of the WRHA. “We understand that, in order to relieve the pressures on the system and to keep people with minor or chronic health concerns out of our Emergency Departments, we need to improve upon that access and provide more opportunities to receive primary care close to home.”
For more information about QuickCare clinics, visit www.wrha.mb.ca/community/quick-care.php or www.gov.mb.ca/health/primarycare/public/access/quickcare.html.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ATTACHED
Backgrounder
Background Information - https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/newslinks/2015/11/RLS-Winnipeg_West_QuickCare_BG-PR-HL.doc