Right Care, Right Place campaign aims to ease Chatham-Kent emergency room congestion

Windsor, Ont. -

A new campaign has been launched in Chatham-Kent with a goal of reducing emergency room wait times at the two local hospitals while ensuring patients get proper care.

Officials say the holiday season is typically one of the busiest times of the year for health care workers and emergency room teams. They say Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s Emergency Departments at both sites in Chatham and Wallaceburg are experiencing high volumes of patients, which many times means long waits for service.

They’re urging the public to think twice about calling an ambulance for a non-life threatening illness or event and avoid visiting the emergency room for a non-serious illness or symptoms.

The Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT) says often times for mild to moderate illnesses, health care can be better and more efficiently provided by family physicians, nurse practitioners, Telehealth, and pharmacists.

Officials say as we enter the winter season, colds, flu and upper respiratory symptoms are prevalent. Combined with a rise in COVID-19 cases, and stress on our health care system, there are multiple options for residents to seek care, which does not include the Emergency Department.

In Chatham-Kent there are three Family Health Teams: Thamesview Family Health Team, Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, Tilbury District Family Health Team, and as well as the Chatham- Kent Community Health Centres – all of which have multiple locations to serve patients. All four primary care organizations offer after-hours care and times are reserved for same day and next day appointments for rostered patients affiliated with their primary health care organization.

The team suggests the best places to seek care for colds, flu and upper respiratory symptoms:

• Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner
• Pharmacist
• COVID-19 Assessment Centre (For Adults) www.assessmentbooking.ca
• Pediatric Assessment COVID-19 Centre (For children & youth) www.assessmentbooking.ca

Walk-In Clinics available for those who do not have a primary care physician or nurse practitioner:

• TilburyWalk-InClinic In-person clinic. No appointment needed. 15 Mill St. East, Tilbury Call 519-682-3699 or visit https://tilburywalkinclinic.com/.
• AppleTreeMedicalGroup. Visit in-person for a virtual clinic. No appointment needed. 448 St Clair St., Chatham  Call [phone] or visit https://appletreemedicalgroup.com/clinic-locations/448-st- clair-st-chatham/
• GoodDoctors - Visit https://gooddoctors.ca/site/good-doctors-chatham/ Call to Book a Phone or In-Person Visit: Call [phone] Ridgetown Call [phone]
• Virtual telemedicine walk-in clinic. Many clinics have a nurse on site to perform physical assessments, and connect patients through secured video conference, to a licensed Ontario physician. Physicians are not physically onsite for assessments. Also includes Indigenous health services that are culturally sensitive.
• MD Connected Walk-in telemedicine and virtual appointments Book via website https://www.mdconnected.ca/
• Chatham-KentFamilyPractice&Walk-InClinic www.chathamwalkinclinic.ca o Urgent Care Ontario
• -Book a virtual visit appointment via website https://www.urgentcareontario.ca/