The sudden and permanent closure of a Regina health clinic has thrust approximately 5,000 patients into a desperate search for new family doctors, exacerbating an already critical shortage of primary care providers across Saskatchewan.
A Sudden End to Community Care
The Gardens Community Health Centre on Badham Boulevard shut its doors for good on Sunday, December 1, 2024. The clinic's management cited an inability to secure physicians to work at the facility as the reason for the closure. This shutdown comes just over six years after the clinic first opened its doors in 2018, promising enhanced community-based care.
The closure is a significant blow to a healthcare system under strain. Patients like Kate Malagride, 29, who relied on the clinic for anxiety treatment and medication management, are now facing uncertainty. "Having that stability was really nice and now it’s just a little freaky knowing that I don’t know who to go to now," Malagride stated.
Patients Left in the Lurch
The impact on vulnerable patients is particularly severe. Vanessa Bourlon, 38, used the clinic for her two children who have autism. She expressed deep concern over losing a physician who understood her family's complete medical history.
For Tammy Heland, 36, who has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and celiac disease, the closure is more than an inconvenience. "This isn’t just an inconvenience for me, it’s catastrophic," Heland said. "Not only do I have mental health problems, but I have to get medication every month and now I can’t even go to a simple walk-in clinic to get that."
Political Recriminations and Failed Funding
The situation has ignited a political firestorm. In 2018, Premier Scott Moe's government announced millions of dollars in funding for the centre, touting it as a model to strengthen community care and reduce pressure on hospital emergency rooms. The exact total of provincial funding provided was not disclosed.
The Opposition NDP, which had been urging the government since November to intervene and save the clinic, brought Heland to the legislature as a guest. NDP health critic Meara Conway accused Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill of inaction. "They’ve known about the risk of closure for months … because of their inaction, (5,000 people) woke up this morning without access to primary care," Conway told the assembly.
In response, Minister Cockrill pointed to broader provincial efforts to address the doctor shortage, including hiring more physicians and signing new contracts with nurse practitioners who can offer similar primary care services.
The clinic itself declined to comment on the closure, leaving patients and the public with more questions than answers about the future of accessible family medicine in Regina.
