By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The seasonal clinic at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance is seeing an uptick in the number of patients attending who do not have primary health care.
Operating out of a mobile trailer at the Chatham site for a second year, the clinic has served approximately 600 patients since opening Dec. 10.
Officials are reporting a 10-per-cent increase in the number of patient visits over the same time last year, as well as a 10-per-cent increase in the number of patients who do not have a nurse practitioner or doctor.
At a recent media conference, CKHA president and chief executive officer Adam Topp said 30 per cent of the visits are pediatric.
When asked about the increases, Topp said he wasn’t sure why, adding it could be because news about the clinic has travelled.
“I think people heard about it from last year and went again this year,” he said.
Caen Suni, vice-president of clinical programs and operations, said the number of patients without primary care corelates to the rise in numbers at the clinic.
“Attachments rates for primary care in Chatham-Kent has continued to decrease,” Suni said, explaining that 50 per cent of last year’s patients did not have a primary care provider. This season, it’s around 60 per cent.
“There are many reasons,” Suni said. Some patient concerns would normally be dealt with by a primary care provider, an action that health officials encourage. Doctor retirement may have also contributed to the rise, he said, adding officials are currently examining the data.
“Ideally, they would go for non-emergent matters to their physicians,” Topp added. “For a variety of reasons, people don’t do that.”
The seasonal clinic is expected to run until March 17.
Unattached patients also have the option of attending the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team BridgeCare Clinic in Chatham on Saturdays and Sundays. It operates during the day at 20 Emma St.
