West Hants launches new Wellness and Access Centre

Community members in West Hants now have a new space to access existing primary care and wellness services with the opening of the West Hants Wellness and Access Centre in Windsor Mall.

Located at 80 Water Street in Windsor, the new centre brings together the existing West Hants Access Clinic and the Hants Health and Wellness Team in one location to better support patients and care teams.

Existing services in this new space include:

• West Hants Access Primary Care Clinic: continues to provide in-person primary care to people on the Need a Family Practice Registry living in the West Hants area. To access this clinic, you can:
  • Use VirtualCareNS – Full Care to have a family doctor or nurse practitioner determine if in-person care is needed, or if your health concern can be taken care of virtually
  • Call the clinic directly at 902-472-2998 to book an appointment, with phone lines opening at 9 a.m. on Mondays.
  • Learn more at nshealth.ca/clinics-programs-and-services/primary-care-clinics
• West Hants Clinic for Women's Health: As part of the West Hants Access Primary Care Clinic, this clinic is nurse practitioner–led and offers women’s health services, including Pap tests, STI screening, contraception counselling, menopause therapy, IUD insertions and PCOS care. The clinic now operates two full days per week (Mondays and Tuesdays) and is available to people living in West Hants who do not currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Patients can call the clinic directly at 902-472-2998 to learn more. 
   
• Hants Health and Wellness Team (HHWT): A free Nova Scotia Health service that is continuing to support adults in West Hants to build the knowledge, skills and confidence to take charge of their health. The team promotes mental wellness, physical wellness and chronic disease management, with support from a multidisciplinary team including dietitians, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, and other health professionals. Care is delivered through one-on-one appointments and group programming. To learn more, visit: nshealth.ca/clinics-programs-and-services/hants-health-and-wellness-team.

The relocation of these existing services to the West Hants Access and Wellness Centre is already improving access, making it easier for patients to understand where and how to access care, while also supporting future growth in the local health system.

“This new space is helping us find better ways to support patients now and in the future,” said Rebecca Robar, Health Services Manager in Primary Health Care. “Having these services in one place in the community will make patients feel more welcome and make it easier for them to get care. It will also help improve the experience for our staff.”

The West Hants Access Primary Care Clinic has moved out of Avon Medical Clinic, which continues to operate as a health home at 48 Gerrish Street, Windsor. By relocating the primary care clinic into a new dedicated space, Avon Medical Clinic now has additional room to support its health home team, while making it easier for patients to understand where and how to access care.

The new space has directly supported expanded access to the West Hants Clinic for Women’s Health, which has grown from half-day clinics once a week to two full days of care each week, increasing access to focused women’s health services for patients across West Hants.

“Increasing capacity of the West Hants Women’s Health Clinic has helped improve access to care specific to the needs of women close to home,” said Victoria Murray, nurse practitioner at the West Hants Access and Wellness Centre. “Women who may have had to travel outside our community or experience a wait for an appointment can now get support sooner. Having a clinic specific to the needs of women creates a space where women feel understood and comfortable sharing their health concerns and getting the care they need.”