The Jeffery Hale Minor Emergency Clinic is a project by the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale that started in 2022. Its goal is to provide faster access to frontline healthcare professionals for non-urgent problems and to keep patients—mainly those who don’t have a family doctor—out of the ER. The clinic provides consultations for non-life threatening ailments, but that require treatment within 36 hours. This project makes it easier for patients to get the care they need. Our walk-in model relies on the collaboration of all the healthcare professionals at the clinic, each drawing on their own expertise. People who come to the clinic must first be assessed by a nurse. Based on this assessment, we can determine if the person’s problem qualifies as a minor emergency that’s in line with the care offered at the clinic.

The result: Patients get the right service from the right professional, at the right place and time.

The project’s aim is to provide adapted and efficient care for minor emergencies to all members of the community, regardless of language. Other goals of the project include alleviating some of the pressure on local emergency rooms; offering care to people who don’t have a family doctor; and optimizing services through interprofessional collaboration and by harnessing the expertise of various healthcare professionals.

Project submitted by:

Patrick Fortin, Interim Service Manager

Contributors:

Éric Pastor, Director, Emergency Services Department
Julie Lépine, Assistant Director
Catherine Pageau, Clinical Advisor, Direction des services d’urgence et de la fluidité (DSUF)
Michael Larocque, Department Head, Chauveau Emergency
Yves Plaisance, Medical Chief, Jeffery Hale Minor Emergency Clinic
Andrée-Ann Parent, Pharmacist Coordinator, Pharmacy Department
The team of nurses, nursing assistants, specialized nurse practitioners, physicians, administrative officers, pharmacists and physiotherapists at the Jeffery Hale minor emergency clinic.