Patients left in lurch after Orleans doctors plan to close practices
Patients of an east Ottawa clinic say they've been left in the lurch after learning they would need to find new family doctors because their doctors were closing their medical practices.
"It was a shock to me," said Diane Godard, whose doctor was one of three at the Orléans Family Health Clinic on Centrum Boulevard who signed the letter sent to patients on Dec. 29, 2022.
The letter stated their practices would be closed as of April 6 and no other physicians there would be able to take them on, as their waitlists were full.
"Frustration, anger and I thought, 'How could they treat people like that?'" Godard said of her reaction. "First, I was angry at the doctor but then with these three weeks of not being able to get through to the clinic."
Godard has had breast cancer, blood pressure issues and COPD. She needs prescription renewals as she begins the daunting task of finding a doctor but says she hasn't been able to get through to the clinic to make an appointment.
"I know it's going to be a long time to get a doctor," she said. "I need my renewals for one year."
CTV News reached out to the clinic for comment and has not heard back.
Numbers in a memo provided to the Board of Health earlier this month show up to 150,000 people in the Ottawa area do not have access to a regular primary care doctors.
"People are desperate and that's hard," said Martine Whissel, the executive director of the Eastern Ottawa Community Family Health Team. "And we have physicians that would like to take on more but they're full they don't have more time to give."
Whissel said recruiting bilingual physicians is key but so is collaboration. She says there is talk of bringing a community health centre east of the Ottawa River.
"It's ideas like that that might be able to help our community until we're able to move ahead and have more family doctors take on more patients in this region," Whissel said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.