HARRISTON – The grand opening of the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team clinic here was a hit with members of the Harriston community.
The clinic held a ribbon cutting ceremony and offered tours-of the space on July 12.
The event featured several speakers, including Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae, MP John Nater, Minto Mayor Dave Turton and clinic staff.
“This day would not have been possible if it wasn’t for this community; 100 per cent it was this community,” said Rae.
He spoke highly of the actions the town has taken to ensure residents’ primary health care needs are met.
The project took roughly a year, but once the proposal was approved by the Ontario government, staff and workers finished renovating the space in six to eight weeks, officials told the Advertiser.
Mayor Dave Turton spoke about his “amazement” that so many people don’t have a doctor.
A resident from Clifford joined the celebrations to share her appreciation and thanks for the clinic and its staff.
“I’ve been 15 years with no medical health, no vaccines, no access to bloodwork; all I’ve had is the emergency room,” Suzanne Yates told the Advertiser.
Yates explained how efficient the clinic has been in meeting her needs.
“I phoned, got put on a waiting list and finally got a biopsy on my skin cancer thanks to everyone here,” she added.
Within a month she had more help than she’s “ever been able to access in 15 years”, she said.
Yates is also grateful for the added benefit of not having to go to Kitchener for bloodwork.
“They offer so many services that I’ve needed for so long,” she said.
According to officials, this clinic will be the last in Minto for the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, which now has locations in Clifford, Drayton, Palmerston and finally Harriston.
“We firmly believe providing local access to primary care is important to our rural residents, and know that our new Harriston clinic will serve our Minto-Mapleton and surround communities well,” executive director of the health team Shirley Borges told attendees.
Over a year ago the health team submitted a proposal to the government that “spoke to the need to expand primary care in the area”, specifically the northern part of the region, she stated.
Through the addition of two nurse practitioners, a registered practical nurse and a receptionist, the clinic has brought in 1,600 new patients – 800 for the Clifford site and 800 for the Harriston site.
The clinic has already created a wait list for patients due to the departure of physicians in the surrounding areas, Borges stated, further proving the need for primary health care providers.
The original plan was to locate the staff additions at the Minto Rural Health Centre in Palmerston. But as space became an issue, the Town of Minto and staff helped and supported the Harriston clinic, Borges explained.
“We have been working on expanding primary care services across Minto and Mapleton since 2006,” she said.
She expressed her excitement about the clinic offering bloodwork for local patients who are having trouble getting to Palmerston.
Countryside Midwifery Services and Harriston Family Dentistry are also located in the Harriston medical centre building, which is owned by the Harriston Lions.
