New urgent treatment centre opening soon in Tatamagouche

A new urgent treatment centre is set to open at theLillian Fraser Memorial Hospital in Tatamagouche, N.S., by mid-January.

In a press release, Nova Scotia Health said the centre "will provide care, by both booked and walk-in appointments, for people with unexpected, non-life-threatening health concerns that require same or next day treatment."

"The centre will be available to people with or without a family doctor or nurse practitioner."

Nova Scotia Health said the urgent treatment centre is different from an emergency department because it will not receive ambulances.

A public information session on the centre will be held Dec. 20at the Grace Jollymore Joyce Arts Centre at31 Creamery Roadin Tatamagouche from 4 p.m. to5:30 p.m. Registration is requiredto attend.

The opening ofurgent treatment centres is part of the province's plan to improve the health-care system in Nova Scotia.

As of Dec. 1, 125,278Nova Scotians are on theNeed a Family Practice Registry.In the central zone, which includes Halifax,53,100 people are in need of a primary health-care provider.

In September, the province announced the emergency department at the Victoria County Memorial Hospital in Baddeck, N.S., was being replaced with an urgent treatment centre. Another urgent treatment centre opened last year in Parrsboro, N.S.