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A Health Home for infants without a primary care provider

Three partners in the Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Ontario Health Team -Queen’s School of Nursing, Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC) and KFL&A Public Health - have developed a newborn and early childhood clinic to provide well-baby health care to infants who do not have a primary care provider. It is estimated that 20 babies a month are born in the Kingston area who are not attached to a primary care provider, making them vulnerable to not achieving their best health.

Focus of the clinic for newborns:

  • provide wellness care

  • monitor growth and development

  • conduct milestone screening

  • deliver immunizations critical to early childhood health

  • refer to a pediatrician or other specialists if a baby needs specialized care


    Well baby check with Dr. Patel

    The Well Baby Care Clinic is staffed by three nurse practitioners, as well as nurses from KFL&A Public Health. The clinic will provide inter-professional educational experiences for undergraduate nursing, nurse practitioner and medical students, and post-graduate medical trainees in family medicine and pediatrics.

    This initiative also benefits the larger health-care system by providing essential care to infants and young children, and potentially reducing visits to the Children's Outpatient Clinic at Hotel Dieu Hospital and to Emergency Departments. 

    To book a visit

    Location:  KFL&A Public Health, 221 Portsmouth Ave. Kingston

    QR code for appointment booking

    Open:  Two half days per week 

    To book an appointment, scan QR code : 

    • OR visit the link HERE to book an appointment 

    • For cancellations or to reschedule call 613-484-7732

     

    Program Evaluation Report

    This report on the Well Baby Care Clinic highlights its effectiveness as an alternative to acute care settings like the Children's Outpatient Clinic, walk-in clinics, and emergency departments. 

    The clinic welcomed 151 unique clients and recorded 355 visits from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. The report shows high patient satisfaction regarding access, quality of care, and communication. Findings also show that the clinic successfully connects infants to primary care providers, administers vaccines, and refers patients to specialized services.

    Read the full report.

     

    What the FLA OHT partners are saying: 

    Queen's School of Nursing

    “Newborns and young children are extremely vulnerable and ongoing health care is essential for good health outcomes. We are very pleased to offer this service to babies and young children in our region and provide our learners with exceptional inter-professional and team-based opportunities to advance their knowledge,” says Dr. Roger Pilon, Associate Professor, School of Nursing and licensed Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner who is helping lead this initiative. 

    Kingston Community Health Centres

    “It is important to Kingston Community Health Centre (KCHC) to work with our community partners to ensure the health of everyone in our communities. This clinic is vital to the health and well-being of babies so they get a healthy start in their growth and development,” says Dr. Rupa Patel, Family Physician, KCHC and Assistant Professor, Queen’s Department of Family Medicine. For the past eight months, Dr. Patel and the Weller Clinic team have been providing well baby care through KCHC for infants without a primary care provider and identified this community health care need and brought the partners together to help design the clinic.

    KFL&A Public Health

    “We are thrilled to partner with KCHC and Queen’s School of Nursing to provide much-needed space and knowledgeable health-care professionals to make a real difference in the lives of families in our community who may not have access to primary health care providers,” says Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health, KFL&A Public Health.