West End Urgent Care Centre reopens August 3rd

HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton Health Sciences’ West End Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will reopen on Tuesday, August 3. The UCC was closed temporarily on April 19 to support COVID efforts, and was used as a COVID-19 Assessment Centre until July 15. Staff and physicians at the UCC will provide care for patients between 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. No appointments are required.

“If you’re experiencing an illness or injury that isn’t an emergency, but can’t wait for an appointment with a family doctor, an urgent care centre is a good option for you,” says Dr. Kuldeep Sidhu, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).

Examples of medical issues which require urgent care include:

• Minor cuts or wounds that may require stitches
• Simple broken bones, sprains, strains or deep bruises
• Ear infections
• Fevers, coughs, congestion, and sore throats
• Insect bites, rashes and scrapes

For emergencies, please call 9-1-1 or visit your nearest emergency department.

Urgent care centres are staffed by emergency department-trained doctors and nurses and can provide you with faster access to a doctor, rather than waiting in the ER (based on average wait times). Urgent care centres allow access to services such as X-rays, ultrasounds (for certain conditions), and laboratory services (located off-site).

It’s expected the UCC will return to pre-pandemic full operating hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) starting on September 7, 2021.

To learn more about your healthcare options, please visit www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/areas-of-care/emergency-care/ and www.NeedADoc.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Patrice Cloutier
Communications & Public Affairs
Hamilton Health Sciences
cloutierp@hhsc.ca