A new bilingual health clinic offering primary care to Yukoners in both French and English opened at its temporary location in Whitehorse today, though its two physician positions remain vacant.

The Centre de Santé Constellation Health Centre has 46 appointments booked this week, a Department of Health and Social Services staffer told reporters at a news conference held Friday morning at the new clinic in the Nuvo Building at 102-4149 Fourth Ave.

At that time, an estimated 750 Yukoners had applied for the clinic – about 25 per cent are asking to receive care in French. The clinic is currently offering intake service to 138 people.

The facility will have staff nurse practitioners, a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a social worker, a clinic manager and medical office assistants, and eventually, two physicians.

Seven staff have already been hired, four of whom speak French, but the clinic is still in search of doctors.

Asked if the need for physicians who can provide care in English and French is making the search harder, Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee told reporters that’s not an immediate concern.

“The professionals that are here are not hindered by the fact that there are no primary care physicians immediately,” she said.

The clinic’s nurse practitioners and its registered nurse will be able to offer that primary care. She said this model, where nurses are more involved in offering primary care, is the way of the future.

While nursing shortages are affecting the territory all over – the minister said last month over 40 per cent of community nursing positions are vacant – she said the number of doctors in the Yukon is less concerning.

“I appreciate there are people without family doctors,” she said.

“I don’t necessarily agree that we don’t have enough doctors here in the territory; we are very well served by – I think the most recent numbers are 69 – local professionals who run their practice here.”

The CBC reported last week that 3,453 Yukoners were on the family doctor waitlist as of Friday.

Yukoners on the family waitlist have had to reapply to register for the Centre de Santé Constellation Health Centre.

However, Alethea Stobbe, the director of integrated health services, told reporters that people on that list are being prioritized.

The clinic is also prioritizing registration by language and health needs, she said, and intake is continuing on a rolling basis as more staff are recruited.

Stobbe told reporters the clinic will provide care for 2,500 people once it’s fully staffed and in its permanent location on Quartz Road beside the Whitehorse Health Centre some time in 2023. That facility is currently being renovated.

Virtual appointments, Stobbe said, would help staff offer care to more registered clients while the clinic waits to move to a bigger space. The temporary location has only two clinic rooms available.

McPhee said the new clinic will help take pressures off hospitals and other clinics, as newly registered clients are able to access primary care elsewhere.

The clinic was supposed to be one of two new clinics to open in Whitehorse this year to help increase access to primary care for Yukoners.

The other, a proposed walk-in clinic, was put off due to recruitment issues.

The new bilingual clinic won’t accept walk-ins, though anyone registered can expect same-day care, Stobbe said.

John Streicker, the minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate said in a news release the Centre de Santé Constellation Health Centre is “a pivotal milestone towards improving access to services and communications in French in the territory.

“We have been delivering on our promise to enhance access to French-language services for many years now and we are working with the francophone community to make it happen.”

Streicker thanked l’Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) and the Partenariat communauté en santé “for their dedication to improving the health and well-being of our growing francophone population.”

“We are pleased with the opening of the first bilingual Centre de Santé Constellation Health Centre in the Yukon,” said AFY president Lorraine Taillefer.

“Health is a priority for our growing community. We would like to thank the Yukon government for this initiative and the Partenariat communauté en santé (PCS) for its major contribution in this project for over 20 years.

“These collaborations allow us to respond to a growing demand for French-language services in the area of health,” Taillefer added.

Applications continue to be reviewed and prioritized by a team of professionals at the clinic.

Yukoners not initially accepted will be added to the waitlist and notified when space becomes available.

Any Yukoner over 16 years of age with a valid Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan card is eligible to apply to become a client of the clinic.

Individuals younger than 16 years of age may have a guardian apply on their behalf.

Yukoners on the Find a Family Doctor waitlist who are interested in receiving care at the Constellation Health Centre must also apply.

Yukoners can call Constellation for assistance at 393-7119. For more information or to fill in the application form, visit https://Yukon.ca/Constellation-health-centre.