New Swift Current clinic provides modern space for specialized care
Four internal medicine specialists in Swift Current have relocated to a modern clinic facility that was designed to provide a suitable environment for patient care.
A grand opening ceremony for the Cypress Internal Medicine Clinic was held Feb. 26. The new building is located on Saskatchewan Drive, just across the street from the Cypress Regional Hospital.
The privately-owned clinic provides a new home to Dr. Alexandra Akinfiresoye, Dr. Robin Colwell, Dr. Tadeyo Khonje, and Dr. Rosemary Serwadda-Luwaga.
They previously practised at Central Medical Clinic in the city and as part of the move to the new building the clinic also underwent a name change. The grand opening included a program with speeches by various dignitaries and a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Dr. Ivo Radevski, the southwest area chief of staff for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, congratulated the group on behalf of the physicians of Swift Current and the southwest.
“This new facility is a testament not only to your entrepreneurship, but also to your long-term commitment to the southwest area and to Swift Current,” he said.
Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley brought greetings on behalf of the provincial government. He noted that these four specialists are part of an amazing team of local health care providers and professionals in Swift Current.
“This is just another perfect example of a partnership that's being enhanced here in Swift Current and southwest Saskatchewan, and I want to thank you for that,” he said. “I want to thank you for your commitment to our community through your dedication and desire to be here and not just as professionals, but as families.”
Mayor Denis Perrault mentioned that the area where the new building is located was undeveloped less than 15 years ago and the city experienced significant growth since then. He thanked them for choosing to invest in Swift Current.
“I can assure you that this time right now is the best time it's ever been to be a business owner in our community,” he said. “The future is very bright for what's coming next and we as your elected representatives are going to go out of our way to bring more business here, which ultimately should mean more patients.”
Dr. Akinfiresoye spoke to the Prairie Post after the opening ceremony. She said the new building is a dream come true and she thanked everyone who attended the event.
“It was nice to have this grand opening so people can be more aware of what we do as internal medicine and just be aware of what the clinic is all about and just to celebrate,” she mentioned.
Their new location is far more suitable to their practice than the previous office space on Central Avenue North.
“The location is closer to the hospital and closer to The Meadows for elderly patients who have an appointment,” she said “It's just more convenient, a newer building, more modern and we were able to update it to what we really want it to be as an internal medicine clinic.… We have space for four doctors and two extra offices, which right now we use for teaching residents.”
There is a large boardroom with video conferencing facilities that can be used for meetings and teaching opportunities.
“There's just more teaching facilities for residents and maybe in future for medical students,” she said.
Dr. Akinfiresoye graduated in 2015 from the internal medicine program at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. She and her family decided to relocate to Swift Current because of her positive experience in the city during her training.
“I came here to do my final training and I was welcomed,” she said. “I love the environment, I love the people. They were nice, the environment was very clean, everyone looked happy and life makes sense, as the logo says. So I chose to be here, because they had a need that I could fulfill and I'm still very happy to be here.”
Internal medicine specialists are trained to treat patients with multisystem diseases and training provides them with a variety of skills suitable to treating these medical issues.
“Internal medicine is a specialty that deals with more complex medical problems,” she said. “Patients are referred by their family physicians.… We more or less are a jack of all trade, master of none. So we are able to multi-task and take care of people.”
The four specialists at Cypress Internal Medicine Clinic will see patients from a large area and Dr. Akinfiresoye also specializes in wound care.
“So I do see a lot of patients from far and wide just for chronic wounds,” she said.
The construction of the new building was managed by two business partners, Isaac Akinfiresoye of Divine Blessing Investments Inc. and James SerwaddaLuwaga of Swift Data Consulting Inc. They are the spouses of two of the internal medicine specialists.
“We have the medical aspect of the partnership and we also have the business aspect, which we run,” Isaac Akinfiresoye told the Prairie Post. “It's amazing what we've been able to accomplish within nine months. ... We have an amazing team of architects, engineers, and contractors.”
Construction activities on the 0.85 acre of land started in March 2018 and work was completed on schedule at the end of November, even though the scope of the work increased during this period.
The main building provides accommodation for the four specialists of Cypress Internal Medicine Clinic and there is a wing with two units of leasable space. The one unit is already occupied by the Swift Current office of Provincial Sleep Group, a sleep apnea clinic.
Their vision for the new building was to create a suitable space for the medical practitioners that will also be a welcoming environment for patients.
“Medicine is not just about you coming in, get diagnosed and get treated,” he said.
“Healing starts from your first contact with even the facilities, the ladies at the reception, before you even talk to the doctor. So for us, apart from it being business, the primary objective is to provide a cozy environment for the doctors to provide best available care.”