Grey Bruce Health Services is requesting patients with minor health concerns avoid using urgent care, as the hospital continues to deal with short staffs.
Dr. Sunil Mehta, Chief of Owen Sound Hospital’s Emergency Department asks that if you have a minor issue that can be treated by a family doctor, try that option first. You could be waiting several hours at emergency departments in Owen Sound, Lion’s Head, Wiarton, Southampton, and others.
There are also phone and virtual options where patients can speak to a nurse for advice.
For minor health issues that do not require immediate attention, there are phone and virtual options. Health Connect Ontario – formerly Telehealth, is a provincially run, 24/7 phone line where patients can speak directly to a nurse for advice. Health Connect Ontario can be reached by calling 8-1-1, and if in doubt, nurses can help determine if an ER visit is advisable.
Virtual visits with a GBHS doctor are also available every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. Virtual urgent care is a great option for those who need to see a doctor, but cannot get in to see their family physician, or are not sick enough to go to an Emergency Department. Users need to have a phone or other device with audio and video capability to connect with the doctor. In most cases, virtual care is faster than waiting in an ER. Patients of all ages are able to utilize this free program, with children under 18 requiring an adult for registration.
Patients must register online first at the GBHS website prior to getting a virtual appointment: https://www.gbhs.on.ca/virtual-urgent-care/
