Here's what to expect from new urgent and ambulatory care centres in St. John's

Health officials hope a new ambulatory care hub inside the former Costco building will improve health-care and cut hospital wait times in hospitals. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

Work is underway to turn the former Costco building in St. John's into a new urgent-care centre, which officials say will make residents' health care more efficient and cut down on wait times in emergency rooms.

Two urgent- and ambulatory-care centres are expected to open next year, one on Stavanger Drive — the former Costco — and one on Topsail Road near the Blackmarsh Road intersection.

As construction continues, here's what to expect from the facilities, which are scheduled to open some time in 2025.

How is urgent and ambulatory care different from emergency care?

The care hub inside the old Costco is designed to be a one-stop shop for outpatient testing, therapy and surgery.

Health Minister Tom Osborne told reporters Thursday the care centre will be used to reduce foot traffic at major health-care facilities, cutting hospital wait times and offering an alternative space for treatment.

"We all hear stories of people waiting at an emergency department for hours for service, and that's generally because the care they're requiring is urgent care. But the emergency cases are always bumped ahead of those individuals," Osborne said.

"It will allow emergency rooms to focus on emergency care, and the urgent-care centres to focus on urgent care."

Construction is still in the early stages at the urgent-care centre. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

Dr. Greg Browne, senior medical director of the provincial health authority's Eastern-Urban zone, said the hub will be used for care that doesn't require long hospital stays — including clinic appointments, X-rays and ultrasounds.

"This should improve access for patients requiring urgent services that don't require the full services of a hospital emergency department," he said.

There are currently no plans for MRI scanning, but there is room in the hub for expansion.

Health Minister Tom Osborne says the new urgent and ambulatory care centre inside the old Costco building in St. John's will open in 2025. (Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada)

Osborne said the province will be launching a public campaign to show what kind of ailments will dictate heading to an urgent-care centre instead of an emergency room.

"There are urgent-care centres in other jurisdictions, and people quickly become familiar with what's urgent and what's emergent. Right now, people may have trouble distinguishing. If you're in doubt, always go to the emergency department," he said.

"But there will be things that people will be very familiar with [that] are urgent versus emergency."

Browne cited sprains, earaches, urinary tract infections or injuries requiring stitches as conditions that could be handled at the urgent care hub.

The centres will cost just over $2 million a year over a 20-year period to lease, Osborne said — about $1.2 million for the Topsail Road facility, and about $900,000 for the Costco building.

A contract of $4.1 million annually had been awarded to the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Alliance — a not-for-profit social enterprise working on the ambulatory hub inside the Costco building  — for a 20-year lease.

What's inside?

What used to be a space for bulk food, housewares and tires is getting a facelift.

The refurbished entrance will feature a lobby space with seating, and food and beverage areas. Costco's roll-up doors will become the ambulance entrance, with the ambulatory hub set up at the back of the building.

There are also plans to expand the 80,000 square foot facility with a second floor, a retail pharmacy and a child-care centre.

Who's going to work there?

The care hubs will become part of the public health system, staffed by health professionals in the public system. Osborne said recruitment is ongoing.

Dr. Greg Browne, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services' senior medical director for the Eastern-Urban zone, says he sees the new urgent and ambulatory care centre as tools to improve access to care for residents. (Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada)

There are no plans to bring in agency nurses, said Browne, adding it will be a joint effort between primary and emergency care providers.

"This gives extra options for physicians working in the metro area. So somebody who, you know, works in an office but perhaps would like to do some more acute care but doesn't necessarily want to take on the, you know, what happens in an emergency department. This is an option for that physician, and vice-versa," Browne said.

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