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March 23, 2023

Flu, COVID and Cold Clinic closing at McMaster Children’s Hospital

HAMILTON, ON – The Flu, COVID and Cold Clinic at Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) will close at the end of this month, accepting its last appointments on March 31, 2023. The decision to close this temporary clinic was predicated by the overall decrease in pediatric respiratory illness in the community.

“Over approximately three months there were nearly 900 visits to the clinic,” says Dr. Angelo Mikrogianakis, Chief of Pediatrics at MCH. “This equals hundreds of patients who were provided appropriate and timely care while freeing up resources for those who required emergency care.”

MCH partnered with primary care and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) in December to open the clinic.

“The clinic provided patients and families with a convenient option that offered shorter wait times while freeing up capacity in the MCH emergency department,” says Dr. Tamar Packer, Chief, Family Medicine, Complex Continuing and Post – Acute Care, HHS. “Thank you to all the family physicians who staffed the clinic, as well as our partners and others who made this possible.”

Patients will be directed to contact their primary care provider if they have cough, cold and flu-like respiratory symptoms. Patients also have the option to visit the HHS Urgent Care Centre for more immediate care.

We encourage everyone to know all of their health-care options:

  • you can visit your family doctor for health concerns that can wait a day or more
  • contact Health Connect Ontario to speak with a registered nurse 24/7 via phone or web chat
  • visit an urgent care centre (for all ages) for health concerns that aren’t life-threatening but can’t wait for a doctor’s appointment.
  • Go to needadoc.ca to learn more.

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