Stettler residents will soon have one more option for health care in the community.
A new clinic in the Stettler Mall will be opening later in March under the guidance of Dr. Lily Sun.
The clinic will be a first-come, first-serve walk-in style, allowing people to address medical issues without necessarily having to wait in the hospital Emergency department for hours on end.
However, unlike a traditional walk-in clinic, Dr. Sun’s clinic will be appointment based, with patient appointments available via an online portal.
Dr. Sun notes that with the current physician shortage, and the demand she has already seen, she anticipates a wait of three to four weeks for an appointment. Sun also noted, during a recent interview, that the clinic is intended for “temporary care” and that she is not accepting new, permanent patients at this time.
Not a stranger to the Stettler area, Dr. Sun first appeared in the community when she worked as a resident doctor under Dr. Alasdair Drummond in the spring of 2022, just prior to her graduation residency training.
A resident doctor is a certified physician who is taking post-graduate training. In Dr. Sun’s case, she was taking a residency under Dr. Drummond in family medicine.
After Sun graduated in June 2022, she returned to the community to serve as a locum doctor for Drummond during July and August while he was away.
According to Sun, a locum doctor provides temporary coverage for another doctor allowing for continuity of care during holidays or leaves.
With the death of Dr. Drummond, and seeing a need in the community, Dr. Sun decided to open the Sun Medical Clinic in the mall as a walk-in style clinic to provide “episodic” rather than continuous care for patients.
As many doctors in the community are not accepting new patients, and the wait times for appointments for those with doctors can at times be lengthy, Dr. Sun’s clinic could serve as a bridge between the Emergency department at the hospital and the other community physicians while also serving as a point of care for those currently without a family doctor.
The clinic does not yet have a phone number, but that will be released closer to the opening, which currently is scheduled for March 20.
Sun’s online booking portal is open, and people can book appointments with her at sunmedical.juvonno.com.