Walk-in clinic in Mallorytown, Ont. set to reopen

Residents in the village of Mallorytown, southwest of Ottawa, will once again have a walk-in clinic in their region.

The Mallorytown Pharmacy and Health Centre had its walk-in clinic on County Road 2 shut down more than a year ago, but thanks to an investment of $110 million from the provincial government, the clinic says it will be able to re-open.

 "We had over 100 visits per month when it was open. Now for the past year, it’s well over 1,000 people who have had to find care elsewhere," said Front of Younge Township Mayor Roger Haley.

The virtual walk-in clinic in the village closed Jan. 20, 2023, after the province reduced the fees they could charge per person, from $37 to $20, leaving hundreds of rural residents without primary care.

Haley and others in the region had been putting pressure on the Ontario Ministry of Health to reopen the clinic in the region, where nearly 7,000 people do not have a family doctor.

Between January and November 2022, the Mallorytown clinic saw 1,062 patient visits. 

For the past year, residents needing care had been forced to visit emergency departments in Brockville, about 20 minutes away.

Yvan Bertrand, a resident, used to rely on the health centre before it closed down and he doesn’t drive a car.

"It’s nice for older people to have a clinic without having to go into town," he said.

Nurse practitioners will likely lead the clinic to provide residents with basic care, similar to what they had before.

The exact re-opening date is still being considered, but residents say it can't come soon enough.