New health centre in northwestern Ontario aims to shore up rural healthcare in the region

Two health care organizations in northwestern Ontario are teaming up to improve care for people in rural areas around Thunder Bay.

Evergreen Pharmacy and NorWest Community Health Centres have formed a partnership, which will see both organizations sharing space in a new building in Kakabeka Falls.

The building will include a pharmacy operated by Evergreen, as well as a NorWest clinic that will allow the expansion of health care services for patients who live in regional communities.

NorWest's mobile health centres have been working with regional municipalities for years, said the agency's CEO Juanita Lawson, but there are challenges with that system.

"We did see through COVID-19 that that was really difficult in terms of infection control," Lawson said, adding the care was being provided in spaces like community centres, that were offered by municipalities.

But working out of public spaces like those meant NorWest wasn't "able to offer a full spectrum of care, such as doing cervical cancer screenings or colorectal screenings or those type of things with clients, for privacy issues," Lawson said.

The new building in Kakabeka will allow NorWest to provide more services to people, without requiring them to travel to Thunder Bay, roughly 30 kilometres away. 

Accessing healthcare has become a major issue in rural communities in northwestern Ontario in the past few months as the region continues dealing with an ongoing physician shortage. In March, the emergency room in Red Lake closed for 24 hours during a weekend, because no one was available. 

Hospital leaders in the region say similar situations could happen elsewhere if relief isn't found soon. 

Lawson said nurse practitioners will work out of the new building in Kakabeka five days a week, and walk-in services will be available. NorWest's mobile health services, meanwhile, will continue to operate in the region.

Evergreen will also operate a pharmacy in the new building as well. 

Improved access to health care

Evergreen co-owner Henry Templeman said the new partnership will help reduce barriers faced by rural residents who need to access health care.

"Kakabeka village is a 30 to 45 minute drive to Thunder Bay," he said. "Some rural residents only go to town, or Thunder Bay, once a week or every two weeks, and they may delay seeking that medical attention."

That, Templeman said, can lead to worse outcomes for patients.

The new partnership, he said, "is going to be huge for chronic care management and preventative care for the community, and hopefully help to ... reduce the burden on the already strained health care system in Thunder Bay."

Devon Myers, who's also a co-owner of Evergreen, said he's excited about the prospect of working with other health care professionals in the new location.

"Sometimes our job feels like we're a little bit on an island, because we do practice oftentimes as the only professional, maybe working a shift," he said. "So anytime you can work with with like-minded people, and people who are working towards the same goal, it just enhances your professional experience."

While Evergreen has moved into the new location, Lawson said some renovations still need to be done to accommodate NorWest, and the building is expected to officially open in the fall.