On-site nurse practitioner available at new Medicine Hat walk-in clinic. Milosdrn/Dreamstime.com

By Jayk Sterkenburg

HEALTH CARE

New walk-in clinic in Medicine Hat features on-site nurse practitioner

Mar 31, 2025 | 3:27 PM

A new walk-in clinic opened Monday as part of Nat’s Remedy’s Rx Pharmacy in Medicine Hat that offers an on-site nurse practitioner — an uncommon quality to a clinic of its type in the city.

Katelyn Keewatin-Smith, nurse practitioner at the clinic, said sometimes people have health needs that should be addressed within 48 hours, and don’t want to wait in emergency.

She said wait times for family physicians can be upwards of weeks or even months, and there are certain health concerns that can’t wait that long.

“I think it’s good access to healthcare,” she said.

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Keewatin-Smith said walk-in clinics save healthcare dollars, because an emergency visit costs much more.

“It’s a better utilization of services,” she said.

Keewatin-Smith said that, as a nurse practitioner, the range of services she can offer is whatever people need it to be.

She is a registered nurse, and took part in additional schooling to be in the advanced care practice role.

She said she’s able to order diagnostic tests, and write prescriptions and consultations to specialists — a scope she says is similar to a family physician.

“There are a few other benefits, like people that don’t have family providers, they’re missing out on things like preventative care,” she said.

“Like colorectal cancer screenings, breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, all of these things,” she added.

“There’s also things like hypertension. These are hidden comorbidities that- they’re silent killers, really. So, it’s super important to see healthcare providers at least once a year.”

Keewatin-Smith said the community can always use more walk-in clinics, as a lot of people don’t have family doctors, especially in Alberta.