K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist
Shawville’s medical clinic, Clinique Médicale le Lotus, has been put up for sale.
Opened in 2014 by Fort Coulonge native Joanne Romain, the private clinic has expanded into having 13 family doctors, a physiotherapist, two specialized nurse practitioners, an osteopath and an after-hours care clinic.
Romain said at the time she saw a need for a healthcare centre in the area where she could bring different services under one roof.
“I wanted to offer a good service to the population of the Pontiac,” she said, adding that she also envisioned the clinic as a place where doctors would want to work without having to do all of the office work.
“The vision was to be able to have a tool where doctors and students wanted to work, and to offer a service to the doctors so that they don’t feel overworked.”
After almost 11 years running the clinic, she said it feels like the right moment for her to make time for her and her family.
“I saw a need to create this clinic, but now I need a different look. I’ve done what I can, but now it’s time to take my leave,” she said.
In early December she informed the clinic’s doctors of her decision to sell and gave them a chance to express interest in buying it. It’s currently listed at $2,250,000.
“I explained the situation to them, and spoke to them about the advantages of becoming an ownership group,” she said, adding that no one from that group has stepped forward yet to offer to purchase the building.
Dr. Martin Benfey, a doctor at the Clinique Médicale le Lotus, said the clinic filled a need for a private clinic in the area.
“At that time there were some private offices that were not functioning particularly well, and [Romain] thought it would be really good to centralize the medical offices and the doctors in one area,” he said, adding that after-hours care has been a crucial addition to the region’s healthcare.
“It’s sort of a clone of the emergency room, so that people aren’t always going to the emergency room in Fort Coulonge or in Shawville.”
Dr. Benfey said at the tail end of his career he is not personally interested in joining any sort of ownership group, and he has not heard of any doctors at the clinic who are prepared to take the step into ownership.
Romain is proud of what she accomplished, but said it is the time for her to step away from full-time work.
“I really want to take care of myself and spend time with my kids [ . . . ] I didn’t have the energy to play, I didn’t want to go out. I really put my life on hold,” she said.
There have been no offers on the building yet, but Romain emphasized they are looking for a buyer that will continue operating the clinic and possibly keep making improvements.
“We are looking for a buyer who will keep the clinic the way it currently is, and could add more professional services,” she said, citing dentists and pharmacists as examples.
Romain wants to make sure whoever buys the clinic has the community’s health needs top of mind.
“The clinic is 100 per cent important to the Pontiac,” she said.