Ormstown Medical Clinic ready for patients

UPDATED January 28 2021

Sarah Rennie

It is the start of a new era in the Ormstown healthcare network. The opening of the Ormstown Medical Clinic on Monday, Feb. 1, will launch a transition away from the well-worn doctors’ offices of the Medical Centre, which opened in 1954 next to the Barrie Memorial Hospital, to a modern facility designed to meet the healthcare needs of Valley residents and to ensure the longevity of the family medicine group (GMF).

The new 65,000 sq. ft. clinic located on Route 201 is much larger than it looks from the road. It is very bright, with large windows allowing for natural light to flood spacious offices and waiting areas. Everything about the new clinic was designed by Dr. Catherine Bélanger and Dr. Justin Wight, the two physicians at the helm of the project, to emphasize accessibility for patients, and efficiency on the part of the doctors, nurses, and staff.

The clinic is transferring to an electronic medical record system, and a new website has been launched to allow patients to reserve appointments online: ormstownmedicalclinic.com. An upgraded phone system will also eliminate the current issue with patients often finding a busy signal on the other end of the line. The new phone number for the medical clinic is 450 859-9185.

“It is open, it’s airy, it’s luminous,” says Wight, while standing in the main reception area. “It is just much more inviting.” And while many of the elements integrated into the clinic were designed prior to COVID-19, opening during a pandemic is not a concern. “There are different waiting rooms and areas dispersed throughout the clinic, which is an advantage in the context of the pandemic,” Wight explains.

The clinic includes 12 offices for doctors, three will be used by the nutritionist and social worker as well as professionals who offer services on a regular basis, two are reserved for nurse practitioners, and three for nurses. The centre of the clinic houses a walk-in pod, which was designed specifically to provide doctors with an optimized workspace that will allow for the efficient treatment of patients. “Our goal is to provide more walk-in services,” Wight says, although this will depend on the availability of resources, such as doctors. Once doctors are able to return to in-person work, he says, he believes the new clinic will help to attract new physicians, including those who want to stay and take on patients as well as some who are more interested in providing walk-in services and even minor procedures. “We are already seeing positive signs and we are not even open yet,” says Wight, referring to the interest being expressed by different physicians about potentially practising in Ormstown.

The GMF currently includes 10 doctors and two nurse practitioners. The majority of employees from the Ormstown Medical Centre will be moving to the new clinic. Dr. Thomas Vandor and Dr. John Hortop will maintain their practices at the Ormstown Medical Centre until the final paperwork for the building to revert to the Barrie Memorial Hospital is completed, after which they plan to retire. All medical records will move to the new clinic, and Vandor confirms that while their patients will have to register on the Québec Family Doctor Finder (GAMF), “Dr. Wight and Dr. Belanger assured us they would accept our patients when they make an appointment or present to the walk-in clinic.”

Construction on the clinic will be complete by Feb. 1, but work will continue within the building. A pharmacy will open on the first floor in a couple of months, and the space reserved for the municipality of Ormstown’s multi-use centre is currently under construction as well. The physio clinic is nearing completion and will be opening soon as well. There are plans come spring for a landscaped terrasse and outdoor space that will include a garden dedicated to the memory of Dr. Greg Geukjian.