PUMA Clinic Closing
13-10-2022
Windsor Regional Hospital's Paediatric Urgent Medical Assessment (PUMA) Clinic is closing after a successful run serving the local community during some of the busiest periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since opening in August 2021, the clinic for children under the age of 18 has seen over 10,000 young patients with a wide range of possible COVID-19 symptoms offering them testing, urgent care medical assessments and, where appropriate, COVID-19 vaccinations. The clinic was first housed in a temporary facility adjacent to the Met Campus Emergency Department, with the goal of handling a surge of parents seeking medical assessments for their children - often several dozen per day - during the pandemic while diverting patients away from the Emergency Department to help reduce wait times for treatment. As numbers declined, the program was moved inside of Met Campus in April 2022, as a temporary paediatric outpatient program for non-emergency patients.
Recent volumes have been five patients or less per day. With family physician and paediatrician offices once again open to in-person appointments, the time was right to discontinue the program at Met Campus while encouraging parents to seek out community options for children’s care. As an emerging option, the local Windsor Family Health Team is currently accepting new patients.
Children meeting the assessment criteria for COVID-19 testing can book appointments at the Ouellette Campus COVID-19 Assessment Centre. Book an appointment online here.
"I am proud of the fact the pediatric program could nimbly set up a rapid assessment clinic, in the midst of a pandemic," says WRH Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Sajit Augustine. "This helped to alleviate pressure on our overcrowded Emergency Department."
"We will continue to closely monitor the needs of our community, and perhaps in the future even revisit the option of establishing a permanent outpatient pediatric rapid assessment clinic with the aim of providing faster and timely access to the high-quality care children in our community need."
The PUMA Clinic, located at Met Campus, will officially close at the end of the day on Friday, October 14, 2022.
It is recommended families seek the care of their family care provider; however, children with symptoms such as difficulty breathing, excessive vomiting, change in the level of consciousness, lacerations, or broken bones should still go to the Emergency Department.
View a chart here to help determine if your healthcare issue is urgent or view a list of available non-urgent care options here.
MEDIA RELEASE