Healthcare gets boost in Belleville
Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Michael J Brethour
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EMC News - Belleville - One-stop health shopping. It's not the most elegant way to describe the Belleville Quinte West Community Health Centre on Bridge Street West, but perhaps it is the most accurate.
Michael J Brethour, Quinte EMC
MPP Todd Smith and Councillor Garnet Thompson chat with pediatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Roberts during a tour of the Belleville Quinte West Community Health Centre.
With just over 15,200 square feet, housing physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, health promoters and an administrative team, the centre really houses everything the community could possibly need under one roof.
The centre currently staffs 32 people, but the centre is still recruiting another four physicians.
Marsha Stephen, executive director, said the centre is a provincially funded facility.
"The major difference between us and others is that we are not an OHIP model, rather we are a salaried model," she said.
The BQWCHC is a not-for-profit health care organization that offers primary health care services, health and wellness programs and community wellness initiatives. The centre has facilities in Belleville and Quinte West.
"We provide primary healthcare at the same time as we help people play an active part in getting and staying healthy. Many people think of health care as the treatment of injuries and illness. But we know promoting good health by providing the right information, training and support that contribute to good health, has the potential to make an even greater contribution to the health of our communities," said Stephen.
She said there is a need for healthcare in the area, mostly because of physicians retiring and their patients looking for a replacement health treatment centre.
Currently the centre has over 800 people on a waiting list Stephen said is being prioritized from the most urgent people in need of care to the least urgent.
Once the centre is fully staffed it will be able to handle between 8,000 and 10,000 clients.
"We are a holistic model of care, so when people come to us they are not just coming to see a physician," said Stephen.
Last Thursday evening the centre held its official grand opening, though the doors have been open for many months. The day involved a brief ceremony and public tours of what the facility had to offer.
"We want the public to know our doors are always open, not just today but every day," stated Stephen.
For more information on the centre visit them online at .
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