Peterborough Community Health Centre to open temporarily at Peterborough Square

The Peterborough Community Health Centre will focus on primary care and will open a 12-month temporary space at the former space of TD Bank in Peterborough Square.

The newly established Peterborough Community Health Centre will begin with a temporary space in the city’s downtown.

On Wednesday during Peterborough County council’s regular meeting, PCHC board chair Johnathan Bennett and interim co-executive director Christine Brander provided an update on the primary care initiative, including revealing that its new temporary home will be at the Peterborough Square mall at 360 George St. N.

The centre will use the space that formerly housed TD Bank, which left in October 2021.

Bennett says it is Phase 1 of the community health centre (CHC), which will use the space temporarily for up to 12 months.

“We want to see patients as fast as we can,” Bennett told council. “We want to hire physicians, allied health and everything we need to stand up this organization from scratch, so we opted for a 12-month lease.”

In February, the province announced over $3 million for the PCHC  as part of $110 million provincewide for primary care. The programs and services the PCHC aims to provide include comprehensive primary care, mental health services, chronic disease management, and culturally appropriate care provided by traditional wellness practitioners.

The PCHC has already “integrated” with other community health services and programs, Bennett noted.

“We’re going to open our doors as fast as we can,” Bennett said. “(Peterborough Square) was deemed the most likely candidate to convert quickly into some appropriate clinic space and see patients quickly.”