Walk-in clinic will inherit some of Concordia Hospital's ER space

A new walk-inclinic will take up part of the space opened up by the closure of the emergency department at Winnipeg'sConcordiaHospital, the provincial government says.

The walk-in connected care clinic will open next summer,Health Minister KelvinGoertzenannounced Wednesday at a media conference.

The new clinic, withextended operating hours, is set to open weeks after the hospital's emergency department closes in June 2019,saidLori Lamont, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority'sacting operating officer.

Thespace is being converted as partof the WRHA'songoing transformationof the city's health-care services.

The clinic willopen daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offer an alternative to urgent or emergency care for health issues that are not life-threatening but need to be addressed the same day.

Half of the people who visitConcordia's ER could be cared for in aconnected care clinic, Goertzen said.

"This project builds on Concordia Hospital's strength in family medicine and enhances the hospital's role as a health resource to the surrounding community," Goertzensaid in a media release.

"The changes will provide improved access to primary care providers in East Kildonan, North Kildonan and Transcona while extending the hours of walk-in care for the community."

TheConcordiaclinic will be staffed by physicians, registered nurses and other professionals who work with family physicians. It will offer similar services to the health region's first walk-in connected care clinic, located adjacent to Grace Hospital's new emergency department.

It will also include laboratory and diagnostic services on-site.

Health providers at a connected care clinic work in collaboration with primary care providers, which is not a feature of existing walk-in clinics, Lamont told reporters.

"Too often peopleseek care in multiple places and then there isn't a consistent plan."

The province's announcement cametwo hours after theCanadian Union of Public Employees held a rally to save theConcordia Hospital ER.

Concordiaembracingchange: president

Goertzen said the province was not prepared Wednesday to announce its plans for the rest of the space at Concordia Hospital freed up by the pendingclosure of the emergency department.

Val Wiebe, president and CEO of ConcordiaHospital, said she looks forward to redefining the hospital's role as Winnipeg's health-care system evolves.

"For past 90 years, Concordia has been there to support the community and is used to transition and can embrace it," she said.