Glenboro celebrates medical clinic opening

GLENBORO — Residents of Glenboro celebrated the official grand opening of the entirely community-funded Spirit Sands Medical Clinic on Friday.

The primary care clinic — which began accepting patients on June 8 — replaced the former 70-year-old medical centre that was in the basement of the current Glenboro hospital.

The new medical facility was driven by a need for more doctors in town, said Alexis Einarson, the vice-chair of the Glenboro Health Auxiliary.

“We decided that a medical clinic would be the most beneficial to recruiting new doctors,” said Einarson, who has been in the role since 2022.

“We needed a space where our doctors wanted to work,” she said.

The facility features six examination rooms, a treatment room, family room, as well as a sheltered outdoor patio and indoor space for staff.

“We were struggling here to keep our doctors … And we (wanted) to make something desirable for them to come and work at,” Einarson said in an interview before the grand opening.

The clinic currently has one doctor and one nurse practitioner, with another starting at the clinic later in the fall, according to Prairie Mountain Health chief executive officer Treena Slate.

“We’re always doing doctor recruitment for every community,” Slate said in an interview.

“In the event that we’re able to recruit more physicians to the area, this will be a wonderful place for work,” she said.

As a primary care clinic, the medical facility handles everyday health needs such as routine checkups, immunizations, minor injury or illness care, or referrals to specialists if medically necessary.

The facility is also the town’s first walk-in medical clinic.

“To be able to have same-day appointments in this area is huge,” Einarson said. “That’s something you don’t see much of in small towns.”

Prior to the walk-in clinic, residents at the event said they would wait two to four weeks to see a doctor.

Now, the clinic has anywhere from 20 to 70 walk-in patients a day.

Ron Jefferies, who spearheaded fundraising, said residents were able to raise $2 million — without provincial or federal funding — to make the clinic a reality.

“It was all paid for by local businesses and local residents,” said Jefferies, who is the chair of the Glenboro Area Foundation.

“It’s a great accomplishment and it’s something that our community is going to have for years and years and years,” Jefferies said.

Spruce Woods MLA Colleen Robbins said the work done by Glenboro residents was “fantastic.”

Robbins said the community avoided government “red tape,” which would have slowed down the process.

“I think that when a community can do it on their own and get it done faster and take pride in what this is … it’s so much greater,” Robbins said in an interview at the clinic.

Spirit Sands Medical Clinic is on the same block as the Glenboro Health Centre and Glenboro Personal Care Home.

Dr. Asadullah Syed, the only physician currently working at the medical clinic, was unable to do an interview as he was taking phone appointments after the opening ceremony.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com