NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH GEORGIAN BAY HEALTH LINK
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During a time of provincial health system restructuring, the government will no longer be funding Health Links across the province, effective March 31, 2020.
The Same Day Health Care Clinic (SDHCC) in Collingwood operates under funding provided to Health Links. In operation since 2014, the Same Day Health Care Clinic will be closing March 31, 2020.
The clinic is currently open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by same-day appointment only. Please note that this closure is unrelated to the Collingwood After Hours Medical Clinic, which is run in the evenings and weekends by physicians from the Family Health Organization (FHO).
Over the past five years that the SDHCC has been open, 62 per cent of all patients who accessed the clinic have a physician with the Georgian Bay Family Health Team, while visitors to the region accounted for 26 per cent of the visits. More than 90 per cent of the visits have been one-time visits for minor ailments such as infections or the flu.
The SDHCC will remain open during the 2019/20 influenza/winter season and will remain a community and visitor access point for the region until March 31, 2020.
As this transition occurs, patients are encouraged to book appointments through their family physician’s office directly. Visitors to the region will be able to access the After Hours Clinics in Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, or the Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Every effort is being made to support a smooth transition for a very small group of patients who are unattached to a family physician or have complex issues, in partnership with the South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre, the Georgian Bay Family Health Team and Health Care Connect.
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