Brandon’s new minor injury and illness clinic opens

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This article was published 28/09/2024 (550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic at 144 Sixth St. — the first of its kind for the city — is now open, with the first patient coming in Friday at 2 p.m.

Prairie Mountain Health has recruited physicians and nurse practitioners who will staff the clinic this weekend as well as Monday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

During the first week of October, the clinic will be closed on Tuesday, but open again from Wednesday to Sunday. PMH will post future dates and hours of operation on its website and social media pages.

Health professionals will see patients who have minor health concerns such as suspected fractures and sprains, rashes, fevers, sore throats or ears, abdominal pain, eye infections, colds and coughs.

Glenda Short, PMH regional lead of community and continuing care, said despite the doctors and nurse practitioners who have committed to working at the clinic, the health region is still actively recruiting.

“We’ve been doing an expression of interest to see if there are physicians willing to sign up for some of our shifts,” said Short. “We have physicians who are signing up, and we’ll also open that up to nurse practitioners.

“So, we’ll either have a physician or a nurse practitioner. Some days we may have both, but we’re working on recruitment. That’s why we may be sporadically open at times,” she said.

The clinic is owned by Super Thrifty Drugs Canada, which is an independently owned pharmacy chain with 16 locations in Manitoba — two in downtown Brandon — and one in British Columbia.

Super Thrifty bought the building and renovated the main floor of just over 5,700 square feet, which has 19 examination rooms, a front reception area and attached pharmacy.

The downtown space was previously occupied by the Western Medical Clinic.

Short said when she learned about the space being renovated, it was “almost as if it did fall into our lap.” The renovations coincided with an announcement from the NDP government.

Five months ago, when Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara were in Brandon, they announced plans for a new minor injury and illness clinic with funding from a $17-million investment to open new clinics across the province.

For Brandon, $1.53 million was earmarked for some capital funding, one-time costs for operation, and wages for nurse practitioners and registered nurses, but not physician compensation.

Now that the clinic is open, Short said she is relieved and happy to provide the new service.

“Prairie Mountain Health is desperately in need of some walk-in services, and we know that we’ll have some bumps along the way, but this is a service that is needed, both for Brandon and the area around Brandon,” she said.

Short said people should visit the Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic when they aren’t able to see their family doctor or regular health-care provider and are experiencing non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries requiring attention but not an emergency.

If someone is having chest pains, trouble breathing, severe asthma or another medical emergency, they are advised to call 911 or head to the nearest emergency department.

The new clinic accepts walk-ins and appointments booked in advance either by phone or online.

For more information call 204-578-2590, or visit https://prairiemountainhealth.ca/our-locations/brandon/miic/

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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