Winnipeggers urged to use walk-in clinics to ease wait times in ERs
With people waiting hours to get care in Winnipeg's emergency and urgent care departments, the health region's top doctor is urging people to consider visiting walk-in clinics instead.
"Wait times are a really complicated issue, and we got a lot of things that we need to be working on at the same time to address them," Dr. Joss Reimer, the chief medical officer of health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, told CTV Morning Live's Nicole Dube.
Reimer said staffing vacancies is one of the biggest issues.
"Our staff are fantastic, they are working so hard. They are really committed to providing the best care to Manitobans, but when you don't have enough of somebody anywhere is going suffer, and we are seeing that across the country with wait times being longer everywhere in Canada."
Reimer said the WRHA is expanding the hours at all five of the Winnipeg Walk-In Connected Care Clinics by Nov. 1, and is calling on Winnipeggers to head there if they don't need urgent or emergency care.
Hours at the clinics will be expanded to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Reimer said right now, about 40 per cent of people who visit an ER or urgent care centre could be getting their care at a walk-in clinic.
"Even if we could get a quarter or half of those folks moving – just the better experience they would have," she said.
To help people know where to go to get care, the WRHA has launched the My Right Care website. The website includes the average wait times for clinics, what you should consider going there for, who will provide care, and what the hours are.
"We want people to be thinking about that website when they need care that maybe doesn't need something like an emergency room."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.