Virtual Urgent Care with Northern Zone Mobile Health and Wellness Team

The Northern Zone Mobile Health and Wellness Team is now a familiar presence in rural communities across Colchester, East Hants, Cumberland and Pictou. The team travels from place to place offering a wide range of primary care and wellness services, including nurse practitioner drop-in clinics, pharmacist and nursing clinics, one-on-one appointments, group programs and health navigation support.

Virtual Urgent Care is one of the newer services available at select clinics and has become a practical way to get help for urgent, non-life-threatening health concerns.

When someone arrives at a clinic that offers Virtual Urgent Care, the first person they usually meet is administrative professional Kasey Steele. She walks patients through check-in, helps them feel comfortable, and simplifies the virtual appointment set-up.

“When a patient walks in, I take their information and ask what brings them in,” she explained. “Then they see the family practice nurse, who gets their history and does a physical assessment. Once that’s done, I set them up in a private room on the tablet.”

From there, the visit takes place virtually with a nurse practitioner or physician who appears on the patient’s tablet screen. If the physician or nurse practitioner needs something assessed in person, the on-site nurse can step back in to assist.

“For example, if the physician or nurse practitioner wants the nurse to palpate an area, they send us a note and the nurse can go in and do the assessment,” Steele said.

Once the virtual appointment is finished, the on-site team receives any directives from the provider, such as prescriptions or tests, and helps the patient understand next steps before they leave.

What Virtual Urgent Care can support

Virtual providers can help with a wide range of needs, including prescription refills, sinus congestion, coughs and sore throat, urinary tract infections, skin concerns like bites or stings, mild to moderate aches and pains, chronic cough, headaches and other everyday urgent issues. If something appears more serious, the team redirects the patient to the appropriate level of care.

An easy option for many patients

“One of the biggest things patients worry about is the technology,” Steele said. “A lot of older adults think it will be complicated, but they don’t have to do anything. I set it all up, and the physician or nurse practitioner just appears on the screen and talks to them.”

Patients can choose to set up an account if they want to view notes or results online, but it is not required.

Part of a larger effort to bring care closer to home

Virtual Urgent Care is just one service the Northern Zone Mobile Health and Wellness Team offers. Depending on the clinic location and day, patients may also see a family practice nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist, dietitian or social worker. The team can help with chronic disease management, mental health support, mobility concerns, wellness programs and more.

Upcoming clinic locations and times can be found on the team’s website here.

For Steele, the benefit of Virtual Urgent Care comes down to the impact on people walking through the door.

“It’s great to be able to get people in right away. Patients are really happy about how accessible it is, and it’s a great alternative for people who might otherwise go without care. I know for me, helping someone get what they need that same day feels really good.”

Photos of (1) Kasey Steele, administrative professional with the Northern Zone Mobile Health and Wellness Team, registering a patient for Virtual Urgent Care. Virtual Urgent Care connects patients with a nurse practitioner or physician through a secure video visit for non-life-threatening concerns. Clinics are popping up across the Northern Zone, offering same day access to care in rural communities. (2) Kasey Steele preparing the clinic tablet for a Virtual Urgent Care appointment. Many patients worry about the technology, but staff handle the entire set up so all patients need to do is sit comfortably for their conversation with the physician or nurse practitioner.