Urgent care clinic in Minden, Ont. to replace emergency department

Minden clinic replaces ER Ontario funds an urgent care clinic to replace the emergency department in Minden.

An urgent care clinic will open in Minden Hills following the closure of the town's emergency department earlier this month.

On Tuesday, the Ontario government announced it is providing funding for the Kawartha North Family Health Team (KNFHT) to open an urgent care clinic at the location of the former Minden emergency department.

The KNFHT applied for funding to open the clinic earlier this month, which the Town of Minden supported amid its dismay with the ER closure.

Mayor Bob Carter called the proposed clinic a fraction of what the town needed.

"It doesn't replace an emergency department," the mayor said. "It's sort of like a walk-in clinic."

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) is collaborating with KNFHT to support the functioning of the urgent care facility.

Alongside ongoing operational funding, the Ministry of Health vowed to contribute one-time investments to procure essential equipment for the clinic.

The urgent care clinic will be staffed with Kawartha Lakes health team nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses, and will be open for walk-ins and appointments for patients with unexpected but non-life-threatening health care concerns.

A release Tuesday stated it would open on weekends starting June 30 from noon to 6 p.m., and noted planning was underway to operate the clinic up to seven days a week "based on the community's needs."

HHHS officially closed the Minden emergency department on June 1, noting emergency services would be redirected to Haliburton's hospital, roughly 20 minutes away, due to ongoing staffing shortages.

Residents staged several protests and a candlelight vigil ahead of the ER closure in hopes of reversing the decision and pushing the Ford government to intervene.

A petition to keep the emergency department open garnered thousands of signatures, but the Ford government maintained it couldn't step in, noting the hospital made the decision.

Residents have said their fight isn't over, vowing to find a way to reopen the emergency department.