Province hopes new minor-injury clinic will ease strain on emergency room at Winnipeg's largest hospital

A new treatment clinic for minor injuries will be opened at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre this summer to ease pressure on the emergency department and connect patients with less urgent needs to other sites at the hospital for care, the province announced on Friday.

Manitoba will spend $3 million on the new site, which will be placed near the emergency department, according to a news release from the province.

The emergency department will be able to refer patients to the minor injury treatment clinic seven days a week for 12 hours a day once fully operational. The clinic is expected to see 22,000 patients each year, which is about four to six per hour or 50 to 60 each day.

"We expect the clinic to have a positive impact on our emergency department wait times and to significantly reduce the number of patients who choose to leave the hospital prior to receiving care," Dr. Manon Pelletier, chief medical officer at HSC, said at a Friday news conference.

The announcement comes after a patient died while waiting for care at the HSC's emergency department on Feb. 27.

The emergency department at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre was dealing with twice its usual number of critically ill or injured patients when the patient died, Dr. Shawn Young, chief operating officer of Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre, previously told the media.

Patients with less critical needs at the emergency department will be offered care that is more suitable for them by the new treatment clinic. The clinic is also expected to help alleviate the number of patients who leave the emergency department without being seen, the release said.

The head of Doctors Manitoba says the provincial government lacks urgency in helping the health-care system, as they have not acted on recommendations from the organization despite reviewing them months ago. 

"I wouldn't say things are happening fast enough," Dr. Candace Bradshaw told CBC.

Where the province will obtain staff for the new clinic is a mystery to her, said Bradshaw.

"The announcement today from the minister is positive in the sense that it can take some of the burden off of an emergency room like the HSC, but where are you going to find physicians to staff this facility is always going to be our question."

Staff at the new clinic would include one nurse and one doctor, said Pelletier. A nurse practitioner as well as social and navigational supports are also likely to be available at the clinic, she said.

Although the clinic is only expected to run for half of each day, extending the clinic's hours to provide 24/7 care is not off the table, according to Health Minister Audrey Gordon.

"We're starting with 12 hours, and certainly are open to looking at expanding," she said at the news conference.

People from northern Manitoba, or who live near the hospital and don't have access to primary care, will receive diagnostics and specialty services more quickly at the new clinic.

"Presentations to the clinic could include minor injuries, lacerations, skin infections, wound care. The clinic will be able to provide addictions supports, social support and facilitate connections with primary care in the patients' communities," said Pelletier.

Shared Health will receive $2.4-million from the province for the clinic each year to cover annual costs such as renovations, staffing and costs of operations, as well as $500,000 for retrofits and capital improvements.

The new clinic was announced after a series of multi-year capital investments were outlined in the province's 2023 budget, which includes renovations of the St. Boniface Hospital's emergency department and CancerCare Manitoba, as well as other health centres across the province.