New clinic will increase access to gynecological services that don't require hospital stay or anesthesia.
A new gynecology service is opening today at Niagara Health's St. Catharines site.
The clinic will increase access to minor services and can be provided to female patients who don't need general anesthesia or hospital admission.
"Our team of physicians and nurses at our Welland Site were instrumental in introducing this safe new model of care to enhance services for females in our region," says Dr. Nicholas Braithwaite, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Niagara Health. "By performing these services in an ambulatory setting, we are able to schedule these procedures more quickly for our patients while providing improved quality of care. This new model of care will also free up capacity in our operating rooms for patients whose surgical procedures require that level of care."
Niagara Health says the Ambulatory Procedure Unit, Gynecology Clinic will operate once a week on Tuesdays, and patients will be referred by their family doctor or other primary care provider.
The clinic is funded by the Ministry of Health's Surgical Innovation Fund, which was created in June 2021 to address surgical care paused by the pandemic.