Squamish Walk in Clinic Update: Weekday Closure Announced for Sea-to-Sky Clinic
The Sea to Sky walk-in clinic at 40147 Glenalder Place in Garibaldi Estates will remain closed on the weekdays.
The clinic will be open on the weekends, however. The step is being taken to minimize risk to caregivers and to staff.
It will also reduce the burden on the hospital ER, said Monica McDonald, the executive director of the Sea to Sky Division of Family Practice Society.
The three regular clinics in the community will remain open: Diamond Head Medical Clinic at 37989 Cleveland Avenue (604 892 3544), Elaho Medical Clinic at 1337 Pemberton Avenue (604 892 5688), and Squamish Medical Clinic at 37979 Cleveland Avenue (604 892 3535).
McDonald said patients with a family doctor should continue to call their regular clinic to arrange appointments.
Many appointments will be done virtually, either over the telephone or via ehealth.
“By offering patients virtual access, we hope to reduce the risk of face to face encounters for everyone – for patients, staff and physicians,” she said.
The virtual access will also reduce reliance on the Squamish General Hospital Emergency Room, she added.
The Squamish General Hospital Emergency Department remains fully staffed, and special entrances have been created for those presenting with suspicion of CoVid-19 exposure, or who are experiencing respiratory symptoms.
Residents are asked to go to emergency visits only for true emergencies.
The local medical community is assuring Squamish residents that whether they have a permanent family physician or not, they will have access to basic primary care services.
“Taking care of patients’ non-COVID needs is still an important part of the work we do, but given the quickly changing nature of heath care right now, local patients may be facing changes in the way they access non-emergency care,” McDonald said.