New health-care clinics provide options for Islanders without a family doctor

P.E.I. is opening two clinics for patients who do not have a family doctor and cannot see a health-care provider through virtual care because they require an in-person appointment.

The clinics, located in Charlottetown and Summerside, provide access to nurse practitioners, physicians and other health-care providers. Similar to initiatives such as Pharmacy Plus, these clinics will provide additional access points for Islanders seeking primary care, Health P.E.I. said in a news release.

Since 2020, people without a primary care provider have been able to access the Health P.E.I. virtual care program. The service provides more that 200 Islanders with access to care each week through virtual appointments.

However, Health P.E.I. said some people who log in to the virtual care service are unable to complete their online visit, because the nature of their medical concern requires them to see a care provider in person.

The new clinics, which have been operating since early fall, are in the initial launch stage and can see up to a dozen patients each day. The number of available appointments will grow as additional staff are added to the clinics. 

To get access to virtual care and the primary care access clinics, people without a regular primary care provider are asked to join the P.E.I. patient registry and then go to the virtual care registration site. Patients of recently closed family doctor practices have already been added to the virtual care platform and do not need to register.