NEW OPTION FOR CARE
Walk-in clinic goes online
Windsor-essex residents who typically rely on walk-in clinics for their medical needs can now connect with a health-care provider online.
Through a new virtual tool called the COVID-19 Population Health Navigator, individuals can request a virtual appointment with a local physician or nurse practitioner to discuss health issues not related to COVID-19. As of Tuesday, the resource is available at ehealthwindsoressex.ca.
“Living in this new age of having to socially distance and sometimes self-isolate, the care that’s being provided is being provided through different means,” said Dr. Jennifer Bondy on Tuesday. “That usually via virtual means through telephone or video.”
Bondy serves as clinical lead for the Erie-st. Clair COVID-19 Population Health Navigator, and is president of the Essex County Medical Society. She is also a family physician at Amherstburg Family Health Team.
“We know things have been changing very quickly and it’s difficult to keep up with these changes,” she said. “What we wanted to try and do was to offer a place where people could go to access all available services.”
After an individual answers a series of questions pertaining to their “walk-in” appointment request, they will be asked to provide a phone number. A local physician or nurse practitioner will then call them to conduct the appointment remotely.
Those unable to access the website can ask a friend or family members to complete their questionnaire for them, as long as that individual provides the patient’s phone number when prompted, Bondy said.
The website is not intended for use by those who still have access to their family doctor, nurse practitioner, or another primary health-care provider, Bondy said.
Anyone unsure if their primary care provider is still seeing patients can check the ehealth website’s “Local Services Available” section to see an interactive map of all operational medical facilities in the region. That includes pharmacies, walk-in clinics, primary care practices, facilities for diagnostic imaging, and more.
Anyone concerned they may have COVID-19 can also complete the website’s self-assessment questionnaire. Upon completion, they will receive a response within approximately three hours.
Assessments under the COVID-19 Checkup function are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days each week.
Those who want to take the self-assessment for COVID-19 purely out of interest’s sake should take the one provided online by the Ministry of Health, which is similar but does not trigger a response from a health-care worker.