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An average of 107 patients have passed through the doors of the Regina Urgent Care Centre every day since it opened six weeks ago, according to a first update from Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The urgent care centre opened on July 2 and has seen more than 4,440 patients between then and Aug. 11, said the SHA.
Most patients attended the facility seeking “urgent but non-life-threatening health issues.” Staff transferred 320 patients to one of Regina’s hospitals for higher-level care.
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“This successful first six weeks at the Regina UCC represents an important step in the SHA’s efforts to improve patient access to health care services, as close to home as possible,” said SHA vice-president of integrated Regina Health Sheila Anderson.
Patients attended the centre most commonly with abdominal pain, cough and congestion, broken bones, and cuts requiring stitches. Sixty per cent received on-site diagnostics, including ultrasounds, x-rays and lab services.
Nearly 180 patients sought access to the mental health and addictions support on offer from the facility, a keystone element of the centre.
Located at 1320 Albert Street, the $9.82 million facility is the first of it’s kind in Saskatchewan, posed as an alternative care solution to fill the gap between emergency rooms and primary care physicians.
A second urgent care centre is to be built in Saskatoon, with planning currently underway in partnership with Ahtahkoop Cree Nation. A site in Pleasant Hill was chosen in 2023, with construction to begin this fall.
Regina anticipates seeing more than 20,000 patients per year at the centre. The UCC currently operates seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with plans to be accessible to patients 24-hours per day by fall.
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