Over 1,500 patients have been treated since the new walk-in clinic at Sarnia's Bluewater Medical Clinic opened two months ago.
Local dignitaries joined medical staff and patients Wednesday Morning, to cut the ribbon officially opening the Rapids Family Health Team Access to Care Centre at 481 London Road.
Rapids Executive Director Lynn Laidler says they're already reducing the burden on Bluewater Health's Emergency Department, by seeing patients experiencing episodic conditions.
"Things like fevers in children, earaches, we can look after that here," said Laidler. "We don't look after chronic disease management because that's better if it's done by a patient's physician or nurse practitioner."
The clinic is open to anyone.
Laidler said area doctors will be notified if their patient visits the clinic, unlike other walk-in clinics in the city.
"We send a report to the family physician so they know that you've been here, what was done, what medication was given and to call for a follow-up. I think it's really integral, where some of the other ones you just go and your records are lost. So it's a continuum of care."
Laidler said patients can be seen by a nurse practitioner between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
The Sarnia Physicians Group takes over at 5 p.m. running an after-hours clinic for its patients Monday to Friday until 8 p.m.
"Our group has 24 doctors in it, I think there's 40 family doctors in Sarnia, so most [patients in the city] can be seen here at night if they can't be seen during the day," said Dr. John O'Mahony. "We really encourage our patients if they need primary care to access their provider, this area here or if it's an emergency, go to emerge."
Over 30,000 patients are rostered to family doctors in the newly renovated and expanded Bluewater Medical Clinic -- formerly known as the London Road Diagnostic Clinic.