NIAGARA, ON – The Prompt Care Centre at St. Catharines’ Ontario Street Site is undergoing a name change on Monday, Sept. 28, but the services and care provided will remain the same. The 14-hour, seven day a week Centre will be referred to as an Urgent Care Centre.
“It will take a little while for both staff and the public to get used to the new name,” says Vice President Patient Services Anne Atkinson. “When the Ontario Street centre opened four years ago, the term Urgent Care wasn’t as common as it is today. We’re making the name change to Urgent Care to be consistent across the Niagara Health System and with the provincial approach. As of Monday, with the conversion of our Douglas Memorial Site Emergency Room to an Urgent Care Centre, Niagara Health will provide three Urgent Care Centres in the region.”
Urgent Care Centres provide treatment for medical non-emergencies for children and adults with minor illnesses and ailments. The Ontario Street centre, located at 155 Ontario St., is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Since opening in 2005, we’ve seen an increasing number of non-emergency patients at Ontario Street’s centre where they’re being treated quickly and appropriately,” Atkinson says. “At St. Catharines General Site on Queenston Street, the full-service Emergency Room treats emergency cases, including those arriving by ambulance. The ER is equipped to provide care for serious emergencies such as accident trauma or heart attack patients.”
Patient volumes for the Prompt Care Centre at Ontario Street Site have increased by almost 10,000 visits since the centre opened, from 26,389 patient visits in 2005 to 36,152 last year. Urgent Care Centres have lower wait times and services such as X-rays, laboratory and pharmacy. They are staffed with ER physicians and registered nurses, who treat non-life-threatening injuries and ailments, such as …
- Simple fractures, sprains, sports injuries
- Cuts that may need stitches
- Minor burns
- Nausea, vomiting, flu
- Ear, nose, throat and eye problems
- Coughs and colds
- Minor mental health issues
The Urgent Care Centre in Port Colborne, and as of Monday at Douglas Memorial in Fort Erie, are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. See more information on Urgent Care Centres and their difference with ERs.
For more information, contact:
Caroline Bourque Wiley
Consultant, Public Affairs
905-378-4647, ext. 43113
cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca
