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Patient upset with planned closure of primary care clinic

Downtown primary care clinic closing once patients referred to family doctors
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Some patients say they are not happy with plans to close the primary care clinic at the Sudbury Mental Health and Addictions Centre on Cedar Street. Photo by Jonathan Migneault

Some patients say they are not happy with plans to close the primary care clinic at the Sudbury Mental Health and Addictions Centre on Cedar Street.

Annette Larabie, a patient at the clinic, says she has gotten 67 signatures on a petition she has started to keep it open.

Between 80 and 90 patients Sudbury Mental Health and Addictions Centre use the clinic for their primary care needs, which is operated by Health Sciences North.

Dr. Rayudu Koka, director of Health Sciences North's mental health and addictions program, said the hospital is closing the clinic because Sudbury now has enough family physicians to serve those patients.

“Because our patients had difficulty getting primary care, we initiated this (clinic) almost eight years ago,” he said.

But thanks in part to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Koka said there are now more family physicians with their own practices around Greater Sudbury.

He said Dr. Tara Leary, the family physician at the primary care clinic, will continue to see her patients until they are transferred to other family doctors around the region.

The clinic will remain open, said Koka, until all patients are referred to family physicians.

Koka added the centre's various mental health and addictions services will continue as normal.

“Patient care will not be affected,” he said.

But Larabie said most family physicians aren't well equipped to help patients with mental health issues.

“There will be a loss of emotional care,” she said. “A family doctor is not going to give you addiction help.”

She said some of her friends have already been referred to new family physicians, and have not been happy with the results. She has signed a referral document, but has not yet seen a new doctor.

Larabie said she plans to present her petition to Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, who is the provincial NDP's health critic.


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Jonathan Migneault

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