Quebec to create seniors-focused mini-hospitals to relieve emergency room congestion
CTV
Halfway between a family medicine group (GMF) and a hospital, the Quebec government on Wednesday clarified its model for private mini-hospitals that will focus on the needs of seniors.
Halfway between a family medicine group (GMF) and a hospital, the Quebec government on Wednesday clarified its model for private mini-hospitals that will focus on the needs of seniors.
Two mini-hospitals, which will look like specialized geriatric clinics, will be set up in the Montreal and Quebec City regions.
Health Minister Christian Dubé's office confirmed on Wednesday that the government will allocate $35 million in public funds annually for each mini-hospital. Quebec's health insurance will cover free care and services for patients.
These facilities, which the CAQ hopes to deliver by 2025, will have an emergency room but no operating room. They will be equipped to meet the needs that most often affect seniors, but if the mini-hospital is the best place for a person's needs, people of all ages could be referred there.
The mini-hospitals will be open 24/7, but new patients will be admitted from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Teams will have diagnostic tests on-site and can keep patients under observation for short stays.
Patients admitted to mini-hospitals must be referred by a health-care professional from another facility or a referral via the front-line access desk, 811, 911, or ambulance attendants. The government aims to relieve hospital overcrowding of less urgent cases, specifically P4 and P5, as they are known in medical jargon.
