From Costco to clinics: New health-care centre opening in east end of St. John's this fall

CBC

2 days ago

A new health-care facility will open in the former Costco building in St. John's in October, offering urgent care and outpatient appointments.
People may know it as the former Costco building, but "it looks nothing like that now," Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell told reporters during a tour of the site on Tuesday.
Howell said the new urgent- and ambulatory-care centre at 28 Stavanger Drive is opening in phases this fall and is expected to shorten hospital wait times.
The urgent care centre will treat people with non-life threatening injuries and illnesses — such as minor sprains and strains. It's meant to relieve pressure on emergency rooms, said Howell, so ERs can focus on "true emergencies."
Several outpatient services are also opening at the ambulatory-care centre in October, relocating from the Health Sciences Centre and St. Clare's Mercy Hospital. These include several specialist clinics and two X-ray machines, orthopedics, audiology, and appointment scheduling and registration, said a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services statement.
More services are scheduled to move to the site in December, including physiotherapy, blood collection, occupational therapy, surgery preadmission clinic, pain clinic, ultrasound and an additional X-ray machine.
MRI services are set to open in 2026.
There will be an information campaign in the fall to let people know where they should go for different health issues, said Greg Browne, a vascular surgeon and the clinical lead for healthcare infrastructure.
Once you're inside the building, Howell said clear signs will make it easier for people to know where their appointments are.
"I think as patients we're going to really see the benefits of this once we start using it," said Dorothy Senior, a patient advisor who sits on committees for the health authority.
She listed the benefits of having access to all clinics in one area, colour coding, and having comfortable places to sit.
In its statement, the health authority said the hub will have free parking for patients and staff, as well as an outdoor space. A pharmacy and Jumping Bean coffee shop are set to open there next year, and there are plans underway for a daycare provider.
The project is coming in on budget, said Kimberley Pike, clinical planner with Provincial Capital Planning. The province is renting the old Costco site, which hasn't been used since 2019.
"Clinic appointments and ambulatory appointments really don't need to happen in an acute care hospital, with all the hustle and bustle and the stress that people go through by going into a hospital environment," said Pike.
In its statement, the health authority said some outpatient services will still remain at the hospitals. Ear, nose and throat clinics, as well as rheumatology, will also stay at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital.