Pressure on family doctors and the Urgent Care Centre in Cochrane will be somewhat relieved now that Dr. Uche Nwadike’s new family practice clinic is open on Griffin Road.
Nwadike, a family physician from Bearspaw, was joined by medical colleagues, officials from Alberta Health Services, provincial Health department representatives from Edmonton, employees of the new Pharmasave (adjoining the clinic), family and friends, and other well-wishers last Friday.
He is planning on adding more doctors soon, as he said they’re looking to go from zero to 8,000 patients in a short time.
One such patient, with a heavily bandaged finger, appeared at the clinic in the midst of the festivities, looking a little confused at all the cameras and cookies present.
Mayor Jeff Genung along with Minister of Infrastructure and Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie were all smiles at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Guthrie called the timing of the opening ceremony perfect.
Guthrie went on to praise Nwadike and his efforts to make his dream a reality.
“I like seeing good things happen to good people, and Uche, you are a fantastic guy,” Guthrie said. “I really appreciate getting to know you over the last couple of years, and it’s been a heck of a journey to get here – there've been plenty of hurdles.”
Guthrie closed his remarks with a final comment that brought laughter from the crowd.
“I’m in need of a physician, so . . .” he said.
Genung added his thanks to Nwadike on behalf of the Town of Cochrane.
He said he hears from residents often about the need for more family doctors.
“You’re filling a void we have and a gap that we have in our community, so thank you so much for that,” Genung said.
“Thank you for choosing Cochrane, thank you for investing in our community, and Pharmasave – another wonderful business that’s well-needed,” he said.
“And thank you for taking care of the health of our community, including our Minister.”
Nwadike said they are already looking forward to expanding.
“Our clinic will open with two physicians (a male and a female) in the beginning with two more (another male and female) to join, bringing the total to four,” Nwadike told The Eagle.
Two of the new doctors will be from the U.K.
The new facility will provide full scope family practice with a walk-in clinic, at Unit 2145 – 239 Griffin Road E.
Anyone interested in getting to the front of the queue or looking for more information can call 403-513-6040.
He said he chose Cochrane to open the new clinic because with the Urgent Care Centre here, it just made sense. Patients with non-urgent care needs will now have another option, with (hopefully) shorter wait times.
Nwadike said he saw the pent-up demand in Cochrane, which made the decision easy. He doesn’t see the business decision as risky at all, since the town’s healthcare system is under so much pressure.
When fully staffed with four doctors, Nwadike said he expects they will be able to provide primary medical care for around 8,000 patients. That represents a large proportion of residents currently without a family doctor living in Cochrane and the surrounding area.
“We think there’s over 10,000 residents in Cochrane without a family physician so we’re confident this will be well-received,” Nwadike said.
He said on Friday that he looks forward to providing health care to Cochranites for years to come.
