Overnight closure won’t affect urgent eye care at Misericordia
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2017 (2986 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Misericordia’s urgent care centre will close overnight starting Wednesday, but the facility says anyone with urgent eye issues will be able to access care around the clock.
Patients who need eye care overnight are asked to use the Misericordia entrance at 99 Cornish Ave., where they will be seen, assessed and treated — the on-call ophthalmologist summoned, if necessary.
Dr. Lorne Bellan, an ophthalmology surgeon at Misericordia, characterized Tuesday’s announcement as the “initial step” in figuring out the best way to ensure long-term access to Misericordia’s eye-care services after its urgent care centre permanently closes in October.
“There’s still some element of flux,” Bellan said, explaining why Misericordia and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority sent out a press release this week reiterating the 24-7 availability of eye care despite overnight closures.
“The hospital would like to have this be the start of what will be potentially a permanent solution,” he said. “Misericordia would like to still have all eye patients see Misericordia as the first place to turn.”
To facilitate that, Bellan said the centre hopes some funding will flow to the facility.
Misericordia’s Buhler Eye Care Centre bills itself as the largest surgical and treatment program for eye care in Western Canada, with more than two dozen staff ophthalmologists providing care Manitoba residents as well as patients from northern Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Since the government announced the planned closure of Misericordia’s urgent care centre in the spring, the Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (EPSOM) has raised concerns about patient safety.
EPSOM is still hoping for an opportunity to speak directly with the WRHA, its chair Dr. Jennifer Rahman said Tuesday.
Rahman said EPSOM wants to “make sure that the long-term plan is something that we have input in and are consulted about to achieve the best care for our patients.”
Until that time, patients needing eye care can still get it at any time at Misericordia. Between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., patients should report to the urgent care centre. After 8 p.m., they will need to enter on Cornish Avenue.
jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca