view . fall 2011
17
THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION
Nurse practitioners help alleviate
primary care shortage
For a small town, the issue of finding a health
practitioner can be daunting.
In Essex, Ont. residents relied on one walk-in clinic or
the hospital emergency rooms in Windsor, Leamington or
Chatham for health care. Essex’s two family practices were
closed to new patients.
In March 2011, however, the town gained some relief
with the opening of the Essex
County Nurse Practitioner
Led Clinic staffed by several
UWindsor graduates.
Allan McCallum, BScN ’99,
CNP ’99, MN ’07, nurse
practitioners Cheryl Poisson,
BScN ’99, CNP ’99, MN ’07,
and Catherine Schooley, RN,
BA, BScN’76, NP-PHC, and
administrative leader Pauline
Gemmell opened the clinic together.
“We knew Essex was an area that needed primary
health care,” says McCallum, the facility’s clinical leader.
“So we conducted a feasibility study and submitted an
application to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
in July 2009.”
That fall, they received approval to open the clinic.
It was great news for a region that is one of the most
medically underserviced areas in Ontario. According
to a report prepared by the Erie - St. Clair Local Health
Integration Network, about 10 per cent of the population –
roughly 52,000 people – have no family doctor.
Since opening the clinic, the caseload has grown to
more than 200 regular patients. That list is constantly
expanding, and there are already plans to open a satellite
office in Windsor.
Poisson says a lot of work in the early stages involved
educating patients about the facility’s services as well as
the role of nurse practitioners. In Ontario, NPs can order
and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe pharmaceuticals
and perform specific procedures. They conduct annual
physicals, provide immunizations, treat such short-term
acute illnesses as infections and minor injuries, monitor
BY STEPHEN FIELDS
patients with stable chronic illnesses like diabetes and
provide referrals to other health care and social services.
“We’re not a walk-in clinic,” says Poisson. “Some people
ask if they need to see a physician, but that’s not always the
case. We have two physicians we consult with for anything
outside our scope of practice. They can see the patient on
site if need be, and they’re only a phone call away.”
The clinic’s emphasis
is on primary health care,
which includes health
promotion, illness prevention
and management of chronic
diseases. Besides nurse
practitioners, it employs a
dietician, a social worker and a
registered nurse.
“It’s a very multidisciplinary
primary care clinic,” says
Schooley, president of the clinic’s board. “The staff works
as a team to provide patient-centered care.”
Shelley Raymond, CNP ’10, joined the clinic when
it opened. She says most of her patients always went to
clinics or emergency rooms whenever they had health
problems so they’ve never had any kind of consistent
primary care.
“They’ve never had anyone do complete physical
exams or talk with them about preventative medicine,” she
says. “But now people are coming back to see me three or
four times. That’s follow-up they never had before.”
Jamie Peel, BScN ’09, recently began working as a
registered nurse at the clinic.
“I love it here,” she says. “It’s very rewarding to see
patients come back. Here you get to see the results over
time and how patient health improves.”
The clinic’s success is a testament to the quality of
graduates of the Faculty of Nursing, according to Dean
Linda Patrick.
“Down the road, they’re going to make a real difference
in people’s lives,” says Dr. Patrick. “They’re helping to reduce
ER wait times and providing a much-needed service in the
community. We’re extremely proud of them.”
n
v
“IT’S A VERY MULTIDISCIPLINARY
PRIMARY CARE CLINIC. THE
STAFF WORKS AS A TEAM TO
PROVIDE PATIENT-CENTERED
CARE.”
CATHERINE SCHOOLEY
