Despite providing care to more than 1,000 patients last season, a clinic aimed at reducing the burden on Chatham’s emergency department won’t be returning this year.
Officials with the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance said there are no plans to reopen the seasonal care clinic at the Chatham site of the hospital.
The clinic, which has operated during the flu season for the past two years, provided timely clinical services to individuals with cough, cold and flu symptoms, and other minor ailments.
Caen Suni, CKHA’s vice president of clinical programs and operations, said the hospital will instead be working to refer patients with minor ailments to their primary care providers or to Bridgecare.
“We’re getting a lot more clear on how to refer our unattached patients to that clinic when required,” said Suni. We’ll have more strategies rolling out as the flu season emerges, when we get a clearer picture.”
BridgeCare is a weekend walk-in primary care clinic for those without a family doctor.
More than 1,300 individuals were treated at the last seasonal care clinic, which ran from December 2024 until March 2025. However, Suni said between 80-90 per cent of those patients already had a primary care provider.
In the meantime, the hospital is urging Chatham-Kent residents to get their seasonal vaccinations for flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
