New ophthalmology clinic in Timmins to offer extended vision care to patients
A new ophthalmology clinic in Timmins has opened.
The clinic is a result of a team effort with many partners collaborating to make it happen. It's located in the medical office building next to the Timmins and District Hospital on Ross Avenue.
Dr. Alejandro Oliver pitched the idea to the hospital and its foundation – now several months later, a turnkey office is equipped with the staff and machines necessary to diagnose eye disorders and diseases.
One ophthalmologist from Ottawa has already offered to work there one week out of every month so she can also visit her new grandbaby at the same time who just so happens to live in Timmins.
“It’s real pathology that needs desperate care," said Dr. Marie Louise Lapointe.
"It’s not like in Ottawa where there’s a lot of ophthalmologists. So it’s (a) very interesting practice and a lot of...grateful patients," she said.
“Even if it’s a small procedure with a laser I can’t do it," said Oliver.
"So having Dr. Lapointe here is tremendous; all of our local referring doctors are extremely excited to offer this to their patients so it’s going to be a real game changer for the community."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Dr. Doug Arnold is the chief of staff at the Timmins and District Hospital. He said an ophthalmologist would traditionally be responsible for purchasing all their own equipment – but with proceeds from the Timmins and District Hospital Foundation's 50/50 draw in December to pay for equipment along with additional funding from the province for renovations and other expenses, the new initiative will help many people get the care they need closer to home.
“It would be fantastic if we ended up with a full-time ophthalmologist to provide care, but that’s probably not still meeting the needs of Timmins,” said Arnold.
“So we need to continue looking at ways to expand … this is a great first step."
Dr. Lapointe and Dr. Oliver show some of the equipment purchased for the state-of-the-art ophthalmology locum clinic opened in Timmins. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)Now, officials said the search is on for someone who can perform cataract surgery
“Patients that require cataract surgery require extremely precise measurements – we bought that equipment for future surgeries," said Oliver.
"All that is here and ready for those who’d like to visit us.”
Arnold said this is the first time the hospital has created a locum clinic like this and it'll consider the concept to expand other areas of patient care in similar fashions in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.