From Costco to clinics: New health-care centre opening in east end of St. John's this fall

Laura Howells · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 15, 2025 2:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A caller health-care installation volition unfastened successful the erstwhile Costco gathering successful St. John's successful October, offering urgent attraction and outpatient appointments.

People whitethorn cognize it arsenic the erstwhile Costco building, but "it looks thing similar that now," Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell told reporters during a circuit of the tract connected Tuesday.

Howell said the caller urgent- and ambulatory-care centre astatine 28 Stavanger Drive is opening successful phases this autumn and is expected to shorten infirmary hold times.

The urgent attraction centre volition dainty radical with non-life threatening injuries and illnesses — specified arsenic insignificant sprains and strains. It's meant to relieve unit connected exigency rooms, said Howell, truthful ERs tin absorption connected "true emergencies." 

Several outpatient services are besides opening astatine the ambulatory-care centre successful October, relocating from the Health Sciences Centre and St. Clare's Mercy Hospital. These see respective specializer clinics and 2 X-ray machines, orthopedics, audiology, and assignment scheduling and registration, said a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services statement.

More services are scheduled to determination to the tract successful December, including physiotherapy, humor collection, occupational therapy, country preadmission clinic, symptom clinic, ultrasound and an further X-ray machine. 

MRI services are acceptable to unfastened successful 2026.

There volition beryllium an accusation run successful the autumn to fto radical cognize wherever they should spell for antithetic wellness issues, said Greg Browne, a vascular surgeon and the objective pb for healthcare infrastructure. 

WATCH | Get a archetypal look wrong the caller urgent-care centre:

Once you're wrong the building, Howell said wide signs volition marque it easier for radical to cognize wherever their appointments are. 

"I deliberation arsenic patients we're going to truly spot the benefits of this erstwhile we commencement utilizing it," said Dorothy Senior, a diligent advisor who sits connected committees for the wellness authority.

She listed the benefits of having entree to each clinics successful 1 area, colour coding, and having comfy places to sit.

In its statement, the wellness authorization said the hub volition person escaped parking for patients and staff, arsenic good arsenic an outdoor space. A pharmacy and Jumping Bean java store are acceptable to unfastened determination adjacent year, and determination are plans underway for a daycare provider.

The task is coming successful connected budget, said Kimberley Pike, objective planner with Provincial Capital Planning. The state is renting the aged Costco site, which hasn't been utilized since 2019.

"Clinic appointments and ambulatory appointments truly don't request to hap successful an acute attraction hospital, with each the hustle and bustle and the accent that radical spell done by going into a infirmary environment," said Pike.

In its statement, the wellness authority said immoderate outpatient services volition inactive stay astatine the hospitals. Ear, chemoreceptor and pharynx clinics, arsenic good arsenic rheumatology, volition besides enactment astatine St. Clare's Mercy Hospital.

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