Lights, camera, care: Peterborough Virtual Care Clinic launches to support patients without a family doctor or nurse practitioner

August 21st, 2018

A collaboration with Peterborough Family Health Team, The City of Peterborough, and The Virtual Family Physician Network closes gap in care for unattached patients in the city and county.

PETERBOROUGH, ON – The Peterborough Virtual Care Clinic (PVCC) is now open and operating at 185 King Street in Peterborough, on the fifth floor, to provide unattached patients with care. Patients of the virtual clinic will meet with a registered practical nurse and connect with a family doctor through a secure video session.

Unattached patients are those who do not have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner to provide them with comprehensive primary care and connect them with existing services within the community, as well as specialists. The city and county’s unattached patients will receive continuing care at this clinic and in time, the hope is they will become attached permanently to a family doctor.

The PVCC is currently operating part-time and will eventually expand its hours when needed. The currently hours of operation are:

  • Mondays from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
  • Fridays from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

“We are thrilled to now have an option for residents who are unattached,” expresses Lori Richey, Executive Director of Peterborough Family Health Team. “This clinic will help us accomplish several goals. First, we are able to provide care to residents who do not have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner as well as make connections to local supports. Second, we are able to get a better sense of the health care needs in our community. Third, this is a fantastic recruitment tool for new physicians, as many do not want to start a family practice from scratch. Having a balance of patients for new family doctors will help us reach our recruitment goal. ”

Continuity of care is such an important factor in primary care, and as such, each virtual doctor has a designated day of the week. If a patient visits the clinic on a Monday and needs to book a follow-up appointment, the clinic staff will ensure the patient is back on a Monday so the same doctor can provide the care.

Peterborough Family Health Team will continue to enhance the local healthcare system with the launch of anther clinic this fall.

“This is only the first step in closing the gap in care for patients without access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner,” Richey explains. “We are still in the planning stages, but we are looking forward to launching another very similar clinic this fall. This clinic, however, will not be virtual and patients will have access to a nurse practitioner. More information will be available in the upcoming weeks.”

Funding is secure until March 31, 2019 at this time and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the City of Peterborough for their financial support for this initiative.

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For more information, please contact:
Renee MacKenzie (Oortwyn)
Operations Assistant
Peterborough Family Health Team
Phone: 705-749-1564 ext. 316

Posted in News, Press Release