Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic to expand again

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Published on Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Photos by Eoin Devereux. The Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic is about to expand again.

By Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

After several years of successful lotteries, the Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic Committee is hoping to go above and beyond with this year’s fundraiser. The lottery has been edging closer and closer to a sell-out every year and that’s a very good thing. However, Mary Ellen Clark, who chairs the committee said, “Wouldn’t it be great be to sell out?”

Last winter, the much smaller Neepawa Natives Junior A Hockey cash lottery did sell out for the first time in its history, so it would be nice to achieve that same result for the clinic.

The Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic is owned by the Neepawa Area Development Corporation (NADCO). A number of years ago, NADCO purchased the former Neepawa Clinic that was then owned by Dr. Chapman, who retired. Extensive renovations and upgrades were done and then about four years ago, an expansion was embarked upon. That raised the number of examination rooms to 10. Perhaps even more important, the renovations included a suite in the lower level that has been used almost continuously by student doctors.

Arnie Suski, who has been involved with the medical clinic committee for over a decade and has been a long-time chair of the committee said, “NADCO has bought the two houses south of the clinic. Those two houses are being advertised to be moved. The land may be used for parking or for expansion of the clinic.” Plans are being drawn up to expand by eight more examination rooms. “That would allow us to go up to 10 doctors from the current six.” As they did with the last expansion, the committee is planning on building the addition on a basement to allow for offices and for another rental suite. The existing basement suite  has been very popular with visiting student doctors, as it gives them a place to stay while they work out their educational requirements under the guidance of one of the clinic’s six doctors.

The two houses pictured above have been bought by NADCO and plans are bing drawn up to add eight more examining rooms, so the clinic can potentially move up to 10 doctors.

Dr. Brian Milligan, who did some work himself at Neepawa as a student and has been at the clinic now for a number of years said, “Doctor recruitment is ongoing. We are getting favourable responses from the student doctors. We want to recruit Manitoba Medical School graduates as they tend to stay around longer. We haven’t been looking as much overseas. It will be a couple of years before any students move here. I wish it was sooner.” Milligan also said they are attending job fairs and are always looking to recruit more doctors.

Over the years, the annual Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic lottery has paid for most of the renovations and expansion. It is hoped that this year’s lottery will go a long way towards paying off the expense of the planned expansion. Lottery tickets are available from clinic committee members, some town and municipal councillors and at the Town of Neepawa office as well as Enns Bros and Harris Pharmacy in Neepawa. Tickets will be available this week on Thursday and Friday at the Lottery office at the Town of Neepawa council chamber from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m and on Saturday this week from 8 a.m to 9 p.m. The Early Bird draw  deadline is also at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.

Five radio stations will be broadcasting live from the Lottery office and phone calls will be made to hundreds of former ticket purchasers. Tickets can be bought by phoning toll-free to 1-877-876-8555. Tickets are available online at www.neepawalotto.com or by mail at Neepawa and District Farm and Leisure Lotto, P.O. Box 369, Neepawa, MB, R0J 1H0.