3 1/2 hour drive to the doctor: Could a new type of clinic in Elgin County end her commute?

Elgin County residents desperately seeking family doctors will have a new option as of next week.

The Elgin Community Health Hub, operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, is accepting new patients to a model where doctors are rarely seen.

Instead, nurse practitioners assess and provide primary care. They will only consult with a doctor as required, said Heather Atyeo, the first nurse practitioner at the site on First Avenue.

“We can prescribe most medications. We can do preventative care and wellness care. We can manage many acute episodic illnesses. Lots of chronic disease management," she said.

With the role of nurse practitioners expanding, the province committed nearly $ 1 million to the clinic last March.

At a grand opening Friday, local MPP Rob Flack called the St. Thomas model the path forward.

“I think it's here to stay," said Flack. "I think it's a very important part of our healthcare team approach and investment in the years to come. It's a new reality. It's a good reality, and it's going to work.”

But with Ontarians expecting access to family doctors, will it be good enough?

MPP Rob Flack is joined by staff of the new Elgin community health hub For ribbon-cutting on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)Flack acknowledged the doctor shortage, but he argued more services are coming. He also knocked down any suggestion that nurse practitioner clinics are a stopgap measure.

“Our population base is growing exponentially due to economic growth. This is going to be an investment, it's not going to be a stopgap.”

However, the new clinic may stop unnecessary visits to local hospitals. Atyeo contends wait times are expected to be far less than most doctors' offices.

“We'll try to be able to offer some same-day visits. We’ll get them booked the same day, the next day, or the next week, depending on our schedules. We hope to provide a resource, so people are able to access care without going to emergency.”

Once fully staffed, multiple nurse practitioners and a nurse will see up to 50 patients each day.

Heather Atyeo Is a nurse practitioner at the new Elgin Community Health Hub. Sept. 20, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)It is a welcome option for St. Thomas resident Darlene Nicolaou. She is among the many in Elgin County who cannot find a family doctor.

To see her current physician, she drives to and from the community she left six years ago.

“Almost three and a half hours. Basically, it’s a whole day's drive!" she lamented.

Even though she would rather see a doctor locally, Nicolaou is hopeful the new clinic will provide her with an option.

"It makes perfect sense," she said.