PCs promise $4.9 million Urgent Care Centre for CBS

He’s been calling for one for a while, now incumbent Conception Bay South MHA Barry Petten has convinced his party to make the opening of an Urgent Care Centre in his district a central plank in their election campaign.
Petten was joined by PC Party Leader Tony Wakeham and a crew of other candidates for a press conference at Topsail Beach on September 26 to announce the centre.
“The Liberals had their chance,” said Wakeham. “They had a decade. The Liberal leader is a former health minister. And what do we have to show for it? Our healthcare system today is ranked dead last in the entire country and one place this neglect is felt is sadly right here in Conception Bay South. This is one of the fastest growing parts of our province, the second largest municipality in the entire province with no public transit. People come here because this is where they want to live, work, raise their families. They are right to expect their government will ensure they have access to the healthcare they need.”
Wakeham said Petten has been ringing the alarm bells for years on health care generally and in CBS in particular.
“The Liberals could have listened, but they didn’t,” said Wakeham. “So today I am pleased to say that a PC government will open up a new Urgent Care Center right here in CBS that will give local families the healthcare services they need. And while the Urgent Care Center will be located here at CBS, its impact will be felt right across the Northeast Avalon. Residents of Holyrood, Paradise and families across the entire region will benefit because we’re putting healthcare closer to you. An Urgent Care Center is capable of handling many of the ailments currently clogging up our emergency departments. Local families can see nurse practitioners and doctors with shorter waits and do so closer to home. That is what better healthcare looks like. And it’s long overdue.”
Wakeham said the centre will cost $4.9 million a year to staff and run.
“It’s going to be based on a similar model that’s been announced for the east end of St. John’s so that it will have the services provided by the nurses and by the nurse practitioners and by doctors,” he added. “It will include blood work and lab and x-ray and ultrasound.”