Kitchener nurse practitioner operating private clinic

As Ontario’s public health system continues to battle long wait times and a shortage of family doctors, a Kitchener nurse practitioner claims to have the first and only private health clinic in the area.

As Ontario’s public health system continues to battle long wait times and a shortage of family doctors, a Kitchener nurse practitioner claims to have the first and only private health clinic in the area.

Phlox Health in south Kitchener offers many of the same services as a public health clinic or family doctor – but operates as a private facility.

“Sometimes it’s called ‘private pay’ because obviously not everybody has the money nor the accessibility, but we feel that it’s very affordable and makes it accessible,” said the nurse behind the clinic, Sandra Dudziak.

Dudziak says she sees anywhere from seven to ten patients per day. Each pays a $75 flat rate per hour-long visit, with most primary services still covered by OHIP.

“Blood work, X-rays, things like that, are still covered,” said Dudziak.

Phlox Health believes it to be the first private nurse practitioner clinic in Waterloo Region and serves as an alternative for residents without a family doctor.

“We have a system that’s poorly designed for the needs of people today in general,” said Dr. George Heckman, an associate professor with the School of Public Health Sciences. “Add to that the shortages of family doctors, psychiatry, geriatrics, nursing and then you have the recipe for what we see now.”