In order to continue to provide high-quality, reliable urgent care, despite significant and ongoing physician and staff shortages, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has planned to temporarily reduce the hours of its Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at its Hotel Dieu Hospital site.

Starting on Friday, July 1, and continuing through Sunday July 3, the Urgent Care Centre will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent, non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses that need to be addressed within 24 hours and cannot wait to be attended to by a person’s family doctor. The UCC will resume its regular hours on Monday, July 4.

“It was a difficult decision, but we must reduce hours this weekend in our Urgent Care Centre so that we can consolidate physicians and staff in the Emergency Department (ED) at our KGH site over the long-weekend,” says President and CEO, Dr. David Pichora. “As the trauma centre for Southeastern Ontario, we must ensure we have the resources in the ED at KGH to meet the needs of the sickest people in our region, such as those who have suffered a stroke, heart-attack or traumatic injuries.”

Anytime the UCC is closed, KHSC encourages the public to consider the following health-care options:

  • If your family doctor is not available soon enough, attend a local walk-in clinic or visit a virtual care clinic at RocketDoctor.ca or GoodDoctors.ca.
  • For an urgent medication refill, call your family doctor or speak with your pharmacist. Your pharmacist may be able to provide an emergency refill of your prescription. You may also contact your pharmacist for minor issues that might be managed with over-the-counter medications.
  • For a mental health concern, call the 24/7 Crisis Line for Kingston and Frontenac at 1-866-616-6005 or for Lennox and Addington at 1-800-267-7877.
  • For critical or life-threatening conditions that need immediate attention, please continue to call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department 24/7.

Visit RightPlaceRightCare.ca to learn more about the different health services available in our communities.

“Please know that we explore every other option before making a decision like this and it is always our utmost priority to provide high-quality care for everyone in our community,” says Dr. Pichora. “We apologize for any inconvenience this temporary change in hours of service may cause for our patients and families.”