Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Residents in Deseronto will soon see vastly improved medical care thanks to the opening of a new medical clinic, located at 331 Dundas Street.
The dark blue building located on top of a hill overlooking the town will serve as a medical base for Dr. Nathaniel Hart, Dr. Heather Khey Beldman and Dr. Andrei Garcia. The physicians, who were recruited through both the Hastings and Greater Napanee recruitment program, will split time between Napanee and Deseronto.
Opening the clinic was the culmination of the town, Hastings, and Lennox and Addington Community General Hospital working together. The clinic will operate under the umbrella of LACGH.
Deseronto mayor Dan Johnson and Hasting warden Rick Phillips were also on hand to help officially open the building and cut the ribbon.
“Seven years ago, I was talking with Dr. (Kim) Morrison and (past Deseronto mayor) Norm Clark,” said Wayne Coveyduck, CEO of LACGH. “We were looking at the eventual retirement of Dr. (Robert) Reynolds and we thought it’s going to be difficult to make sure that doctors come and set up practice in what is a one man show out of his home. We thought we better do something about that before Dr. Reynolds retires and have it so its attractive enough so that when a new doctor comes in to our community they have a turn key operation.”
The clinic is located at 331 Dundas Street. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Dr. Morrison spearheaded LACGH’s doctor recruitment program. She noted Dr. Reynolds has worked with LACGH for 40 years and is now nearing the end of his career.
“As a committed physician he simply does not want to retire knowing he would be leaving thousands of patients unattached,” Dr. Morrison said of Dr. Reynolds.
Having the new medical facility operational will make that transition a lot easier. Along with serving as part time offices for the three doctors, the facility will also house other health care programs, though the exact ones are yet to be finalized.
Deseronto’s medical clinic is expected to start seeing patients later this month or early March. The physicians are still accepting patients. Anyone without a family doctor can call Ontario’s Health Care Connect at 1-866-532-3161 / TTY 1-800-387-5559.