In an attempt to ease emergency department pressures as the number of incoming patients continues to cause backlogs in hospitals across the province, London Health Science Centre is expanding their clinic to provide alternative and accessible care for the community.
As of Wednesday, the COVID, Cold and Flu Care Clinic or “CCFCC” will be accepting pediatric patients on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“The last few months, Children’s Hospital saw an unprecedented surge in respiratory viruses, which resulted in increased emergency department wait times,” said Deborah Wiseman, president of Victoria Hospital.
In November, the Children’s Hospital announced it would be cancelling some surgeries as it continues to combat a rise in patients.
Prior to the holiday season, occupancy levels sat at 115 per cent, exceeding rates recorded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily visits to the ER were also 80 per cent higher than normal, with wait times averaging six to eight hours.
While health officials are reporting a slight drop in influenza A cases, the hospital anticipates additional COVID-19 cases within the next couple of weeks.
“This CCFCC extension adds just one more layer of opportunity for our families, particularly those families who do not have a primary care provider, those families who have children who are at high risk of getting very sick from any of these illnesses, those families who’ve been told by a health professional to bring your child to the clinic, and anyone who feels their child is getting worse or symptoms that are not improving,” Wiseman said.
In collaboration with the Middlesex London Ontario Health Team, the CCFCC has expanded to include assessment, testing as well as treatment for young patients under the age of 18 with various symptoms of COVID, colds and the flu including:
- fever or chills
- coughs not related to other causes such as allergies
- difficulty breathing
- muscle aches or joint pain
- decreased or loss of taste or smell
- gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting or diarrhea
- runny nose or nasal congestion
- abdominal pain (not related to other causes)
- headache
- etreme tiredness
- sore throat
- pink eye (not related to other causes)
According to LHSC, the services provided at the clinic include “COVID-19 assessment and PCR testing, cold and flu assessment, and medical guidance by a health care team which could include triaging or next steps to patient care.”
However, health officials say that primary care providers, such as a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, should remain as the first option when seeking medical care.
“For those who don’t have a family doctor, this provides an opportunity for families to bring their children in,” Wiseman said.
“We already have the program for adults running in the same clinic, now we’re just extending that to offer the opportunity for pediatrics with the great support of our community and primary care providers who are helping us in the evenings.”
The CCFCC is located in Building 24 in Victoria Hospital at 800 Commissioners Rd. E.
Appointments must be made in advance online or by calling 519-685-8500 ext. 75503.
More information can be found covidtestinglm.ca.
The adult clinic hours remain the same, open seven days a week from 9:20 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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