New Montreal clinic staffed by overtime nurses aims to ease ER pressures
A new clinic in Montreal’s east end celebrated its inauguration on Thursday. It’s staffed entirely by nurse practitioners clocking in on voluntary overtime with hopes the centre will relieve stress on nearby emergency rooms.
Staff at the brand-new CLSC Olivier Guimond spent the day preparing for their first patients. Manager Isabelle Besner-Leduc told CTV the clinic’s opening was long overdue.
“We needed it years ago, really,” she said.
When it’s fully up and running, the clinic should help to relieve pressures on the nearby Santa Cabrini and Masionneuve-Rosemont hospital ERs. On Thursday, both had occupancy rates at around 150 per cent.
Officials say, however, that a significant portion of people in ERs don’t need to be there, and could be better served in a clinic environment.
To become a patient at the Olivier Guimond, people first need to be referred to the clinic by a triage nurse or by 811.
“Nurse practitioners, because of their education, can diagnose illnesses,” said Lina Spagnolo, nursing director at the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Ile-de-Montreal. “They can prescribe diagnostic tests -- for example, an ultrasound.”
“The big advantage we have is we can be independent and use the training we have without having to use a doctor,” said Besner-Leduc.
For now, all the nurses at the clinic have jobs elsewhere and volunteer to take additional shifts. The centre plans to hire three full-time practitioners in the coming weeks.
Two other clinics like Olivier Guimond will open elsewhere in Montreal – one in Verdun, and another near Notre-Dame Hospital.
Meanwhile, the province is also trying to ease ER crowding by boosting telehealth staff.
“We need roughly 5,000 nurses that could be helping on the phone explaining to patients that are calling what are the symptoms, should they stay home, should they go to a pharmacist, should they go to the emergency room,” said Health Minister Christian Dube.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.