A recently launched healthcare facility at the former Costco location in St. John’s is set to open this week, providing various outpatient services that were relocated from city hospitals. Kim Pike, the clinical planner at Capital Planning and Engineering, expressed excitement about welcoming patients to the new Unity Health Centre on Tuesday. The facility, located at 28 Stavanger Drive, was open for public tours on Sunday, attracting numerous visitors eager for a preview before patients begin arriving.
Featuring spacious waiting areas on both floors adorned with vibrant signage for different clinics, the center offers free parking, striking murals, and future amenities such as a coffee shop and a drug store. Pike emphasized that the new space is designed for easy navigation, providing a departure from the intricate layout of traditional acute care hospitals. She believes this will create a more calming and pleasant experience for patients, with shorter distances to travel, centralized waiting areas, and improved signage.
Several outpatient services from prominent hospitals like the Health Sciences Centre, the Janeway, and St. Clare’s Hospital have already transitioned to the Unity Health Centre, with more set to follow. Among the clinics scheduled to open on Tuesday are specialty clinics for medicine and surgery, eye care, bariatric and total joint assessments, plastic surgery, endocrinology, thrombosis, general medicine, cardiac diagnostics, orthopedics, audiology, and X-rays.
Additional services, including blood collection, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, ultrasound appointments, pre-admission clinics, and a pain clinic, are expected to launch in December. The facility plans to introduce two MRI machines in January and an urgent care center later this year. N.L. Health Services is leasing the space, breathing new life into an area that was once home to Costco, bringing vitality to the neighborhood.
Kim Pike highlighted the transformation of the space, previously described as a dormant area, into a thriving hub for healthcare services.
