Residents of northwest Red Deer will soon have a shorter distance to travel when seeking medical and pharmaceutical services.
St. Mary Family & Walk-in Clinic and a Pharmasave store are being developed adjacent to each other in Taylor North Plaza at 6900 Taylor Dr. They will occupy the premises that were used by Paradise Golf and Recreation prior to that business closing last summer.
Dr. Kamal Daniel, who currently practices in Red Deer, will be one of two doctors at the medical clinic. The other, who is a woman, cannot be identified at this time, said Daniel.
Both have hospital privileges at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, where Daniel also serves as a hospitalist — assisting patients who don’t have a doctor or whose doctor lacks hospital privileges.
The Pharmasave will be operated by Karl Phillips, a pharmacist who currently manages a pharmacy in Sylvan Lake, and prior to that worked in Olds.
Both it and St. Mary Family & Walk-in Clinic are expected to open in the first or second week of July, with the clinic accepting new patients at that time.
“Mainly we’ll be a family medicine clinic with booked appointments,” said Daniel, adding that patient waiting times will be kept as short as possible.
“We want our patients to be seen as soon as possible, within a reasonable period of time and with a booked appointment.”
He explained that patients in need of medical care will be urged to book an appointment If no immediate openings are available, they’ll be placed on waiting list for walk-in service and called shortly before their turn comes up.
Similarly, patients who attend the clinic without an appointment will be placed on the waiting list and then notified by phone as they near the top.
“I’m hoping that it make a difference to our patients,” said Daniel.
“We’re trying to make life easy.”
Pharmasave is a network of independent pharmacy and drug store retailers, with a number of stores in Central Alberta but none in Red Deer. Phillips said his outlet will offer a full range of pharmaceutical products and services, including natural health items, patient consultations and medication reviews.
Each of the businesses will have about 2,000 square feet of ground-level floor space, plus additional area on their second floors.
Phillips thinks the busy location will be a good one for both, noting the absence of pharmacies and medical clinics north of 67th Street and west of Taylor Drive — despite the recent residential build-out there.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com