Chatham-Kent Health Alliance officials say as of April 1, 2023, the Chatham-Kent COVID, Cold and Flu Care Clinic (formally the Chatham-Kent COVID-19 Assessment Centre) located at 10 Grand Avenue in Chatham will close its doors.
Hospital officials say the decision comes following a significant drop in the number of individuals accessing the clinic as COVID-19 numbers continue to trend down.
Much like other jurisdictions across the province, volumes have reached a point that are too low to necessitate continued funding of the clinic.
“The Chatham-Kent COVID, Cold and Flu care clinic, also known as the Assessment Centre during early waves of the pandemic, has been a crucial tool for our community in the combat against COVID-19,” said Lori Marshall, President and CEO, CKHA, in a media release.
“While we have now reached a stage of very low spread of the virus in our community, COVID-19 is still prevalent and we urge anyone who feels unwell to continue taking precautions to help limit the spread of respiratory ailments.”
In March 2020, the Assessment Centre model launched across Ontario with health organizations taking up the challenge to build and operationalize this service to provide reliable access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to identify COVID-19 infections, hospital officials say.
Since its inception, the Chatham-Kent COVID, Cold and Flu Care Clinic provided over 115,000 PCR tests, enhanced physician access to hundreds of residents of Chatham-Kent, and issued dozens of prescriptions for patients eligible for anti-viral treatment for COVID-19.
Patients can still receive care for COVID-19 symptoms from local Family Health Team Physicians and Nurse Practitioner Led Clinics as well as primary health providers and walk-in and urgent care clinics in the community.
Click here for the most up-to-date testing recommendations, COVID-19 testing locations or to access antiviral treatment.
Before approval for Antiviral treatment:
– An appropriate health care provider, often a pharmacist, will determine if you qualify.
– If you are deemed to qualify for oral Antiviral treatment with Paxlovid, a health care provider and pharmacist will review your current medications and determine if any changes to your other medications are necessary to safely take Paxlovid.
– You may require additional lab work to review liver and kidney function prior to being approved for treatment.
If you develop severe symptoms requiring medical attention, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of consciousness, or confusion, call 911 or go to the emergency department.
