Historically children in the Northwest region have had to travel across the provincial border into Manitoba to receive pediatrician services. Most of our communities in Northwestern Ontario have been without a local pediatrician for many years.

In the summer of 2021, FIREFLY initiated a pilot project which brought a visiting pediatrician across the border to assist in seeing children who would have previously had to travel to Manitoba to receive services. This pilot project has not only decreased our waitlists in other clinical programs, but it has benefited families who might have barriers to transportation, financial means, and other circumstances that prevent them from travelling 2.5 hours to Winnipeg.

This poster presentation will outline what our pediatric clinic looks like (frequency, referring criteria, etc.), the impact of this service on our waitlists for diagnostic services, data and trends (clients seen, referring concerns, etc.), and will include a section with recommendations and considerations for the future of this pilot.

Treena Wallace, Specialty Clinic Coordinator, Firefly
Randa Elgendy, Psychology Intern, Firefly