A doctor on P.E.I. is providing a primary care clinic at the Community Outreach Centre in Charlottetown.
Dr. Reuven Stott works as a hospitalist, but he’s also been helping with the health-care needs of clients at the centre for the last six months. Stott now holds a clinic at the centre at least once a week to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness or addiction — and in many cases, both.
Stott’s hope is to alleviate strains on P.E.I.’s health-care system by providing services to vulnerable populations.
“Reducing ER visits by clients or patients that may visit the ER multiple times, now they can visit our clinic,” he said.
“We’ve been able to prevent hospitalizations and open up rooms in the hospital, and we’ve been able to even facilitate early discharges [from] the hospital, which gives … individuals who are waiting in the ER more access to a hospital bed.”