Joint Assessment Centre opens in North Bay

The sixth Joint Assessment Centre in Northern Ontario was officially opened in North Bay November 18th.

The North Bay Joint Assessment Centre provides a central point of intake for patients suffering from hip and knee problems. Other centres are operating in Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Parry Sound and Thunder Bay.

The North Bay Regional Health Centre is aiming to bring down the average wait for hip and knee surgery, which currently can be more than a year.

The provincial target for hip and knee surgery is 182 days.

“As we heard in our recent community engagement sessions, Northerners want improved access to health-care services,” said Louise Paquette, North East LHIN CEO.  “The five new LHIN Joint Assessment Centres (in the northeast) ensure people in North Bay and across the region are getting the care they need closer to home.”

More than 2,500 people have been referred to centres in the northeast since February 2010, said Paquette.