Pap-apalooza Pap test clinic scheduled for May 5

Finally, there is some good news for some of the many people in the area who do not have a family doctor.

Three Ottawa doctors are organizing a daylong Pap Test Clinic for women who do not have a family doctor and are due for cervical screening tests.

The pop-up clinic will be at the Rideau Valley Health Centre on 1221 Greenbank Rd. in Barrhaven from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fri., May 5.

Pap-apalooza events and promotions have been very popular over the past five years in the Thunder Bay/ northwest Ontario region, as well as in British Columbia. With the shortage of family doctors being a national problem stretching across Canada, Ottawa finds itself in a crisis with a shortage of family doctors that is hitting the suburban and rural areas of the city particularly hard.

In an interview with Post Media, Dr. Lesley Spencer said a lot of people who are overdue for Pap tests as it was not an urgent essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Spencer is a family physician with a practice focusing on women’s health and one of the organizers of the event.

“We’re almost using (the event) as a reminder to people to get this done because I think a lot of people put it off,” Spencer said in the Post Media interview.

To screen for cervical cancer, the Ontario Cervical

Screening Program recommends having a Pap test every three years if you have a cervix, are age 25 to 69, and are or have ever been sexually active. Sexual activity includes intercourse (sex) and digital (using the fingers) or oral (using the mouth) sexual activity involving the genitals with a partner of any sex.

Dr. Spencer added in the Post Media interview that the success of Pap-apalooz events around the country where physicians work with medical students to provide pop-up pap smear clinics provided a template for the Barrhaven event.

“It was one of those things where it was like, ‘Oh, it would be great,’ and then somebody in B.C. was doing it. So why not just model off what they’re doing?” she told Post Media.

Dr. Spencer and Dr. Kaitlyn Orton-Shmitt both rent clinic space at the Rideau Valley Health Centre and are among the doctors looking to grow the Pap-apalooza program to other areas of the city such as Kanata, Orleans and downtown Ottawa. The clinic will also provide an opportunity for medical students to get hands-on experience by working at the clinic.

If the program is successful and there is a demand, clinics could be added outside the City of Ottawa boundaries in communities like Kemptville and Arnprior. Many Barrhaven and area residents already use the Kemptville District Hospital, which is less than a half hour drive from the community. OHIP is covering the cost of testing supplies and the doctors are paying for staffing at the clinic.

To be eligible for Pap tests at the Pap-apalooza event, patients must have valid OHIP cards and not have family doctors. Doctors will contact patients with abnormal results.

To book a Pap test at the event, call 613-258-8710 extension 4. Walk-ins will also be available at the clinic.

The Department of National Defence has announced a $1.4 billion infrastructure project to upgrade the Joint Task Force (JTF 2) special operations forces’ facilities at the Dwyer Hill Training Centre. The project will create several hundred jobs in the South Carleton area.

The announcement was made by the Honourable Anita Anand, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Tues., March 21.

Created in 1993, JTF 2 is an extremely high-readiness and precise special operations forces unit. JTF 2 protects Canadian national interests and combats terrorism and threats to Canadians at home and abroad, and is based at the Dwyer Hill Training Centre at Dwyer Hill Road and Franktown Road, just west of Munster.

“Our Special Forces personnel risk their lives to keep Canadians safe –and we are dedicated to delivering them the tools and training that they need to stay ready,” said Minister Anand. “This project will more than double the unit’s current work and training spaces with modern, green facilities and create considerable economic opportunities for local businesses and workers in the National Capital Region. Whether at home or abroad, our Special Forces make incredible sacrifices to defend Canada, and we thank them for their service to our country.”

The investment secures the future of the JTF 2 facilities in South Carleton after years of local uncertainty that the JTF 2 training centre would be relocated to Trenton.

“The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command is pleased to see this infrastructure project moving forward,” said MajorGeneral Steve Boivin, Commander, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. “An upgraded and modern purpose-built training centre ensures our members remain prepared to support Canada’s efforts to respond to a range of complex threats now, and in the future.”

The 10-year construction project will provide more than 100,000 m2 of purpose-built space to meet JTF 2’s long-term growth, training, and high-readiness operational needs. The work includes replacing 89 aging and temporary structures with 23 new facilities; renovating seven buildings; and upgrading the site’s utilities.

Approximately 2,000 jobs will be created throughout the project, with as many as 250 to 300 people working on-site during peak construction periods. Construction is set to begin in May 2023.

The unit’s training and operations will continue on-site while this work is underway.

This project will include more than 150 subcontracts to provide greater opportunities for local and smaller contractors to bid on work. The construction management contract was awarded to EllisDon Corporation of Mississauga, Ontario, which will tender all sub-contracts and oversee construction work.

Five percent of the value of all contracts are targeted for award to Indigenous businesses to create economic benefits for Indigenous Peoples.

The new facilities will be net-zero ready and built to meet Two Green Globes energy and environmental design standards. This project will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Defence buildings to meet the federal target of netzero emissions by 2050. New or renovated buildings will include modern office, operations and technical shop spaces, as well as new range, training, warehouse, medical, accommodations, access control, kitchen, mess, ammunition, equipment and vehicle storage facilities.

According to the De- partment of National Defence, this investment demonstrates their commitment to providing Canadian Armed Forces personnel with modern, green, and functional infrastructure in which to work and train. As outlined in Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, investments in critical infrastructure enhance military capabilities while helping reduce the government’s carbon footprint.

The Department of National Defence announced a $1.4 billion investment into the Dwyer Hill Training Centre for the JTF 2 special operations forces.