A city-owned medical clinic could be a watershed moment for Brantford, says a city councillor.
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“When you look at the need for doctors and you look at the need for us to compete with other communities to attract doctors this is something that could give us a leg up,” Coun. Dan McCreary (Ward 3) said. “For many young doctors, where they locate is not necessarily about community.
“It’s about dollars and cents and the ability to get a (medical) practice up and running as quickly as possible.”
McCreary made the comment before city council approved plans to have city staff look at possible locations for a medical center. City owned buildings and space available at 177 Colborne Street W., 58 Dalhousie St. and 99 Wayne Gretzky Parkway are listed as possibilities.
Other buildings that could be considered include the former Canadian Red Cross Building at 25 William St..
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Coun. Richard Carpenter suggested the former city tourism center on Wayne Gretzky Parkway would be a good location for a health hub or medical clinic.
The resolution passed by council calls for staff to bring back a report for review by Aug. 31.
Located near Lynden Park Mall and the soon to be built Costco, the former tourism center has office space, is accessible and already owned by the city, Carpenter said.
It’s estimated that more than 20 per cent of Brantford residents don’t have a family physician and, as a result, many go to the Brantford General Hospital emergency department for medical attention.
At present, the community needs between 14 and 16 family physicians. That number is expected to increase when three to five more local family physicians retire within the next three years.
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