Since first opening more than two months ago, a seasonal care clinic at Chatham-Kent’s hospital has been helping to save staff and patient time alike.
Through the clinic at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, a physician and an emergency medical technician have been providing care for patients experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms since November 22.
“These are patients typically experiencing aches, sore throats, fever and cough; those seasonal things we often hear about,” said Caen Suni, vice-president of clinical programs and operations at CKHA.
These patients are typically diverted from the emergency department to the clinic to help reduce wait times.
According to Suni, wait times in the emergency department can range from three and a half to seven hours. However, patients diverted to the seasonal clinic see an average turnaround of 30-45 minutes.
“The impact is very positive on hospital operations,” said Suni. “While post-cyberattack our data and tracking [systems] are still coming online, we estimate that our ED volumes have been manageably decreased by about 15 to 20 per cent.”
The seasonal care clinic, located outside next to the Emergency Department at the hospital’s Chatham site, has provided care to more than 760 patients since first opening. Suni added that 125 patients were served last week alone.
According to Suni, the clinic will remain open to the public until at least the end of February.