Overview: A New Pillar of Primary and Specialty Care in St. John’s
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services has announced a public tour day for the highly anticipated ambulatory health hub at Unity Health Centre, located at 28 Stavanger Drive in St. John’s. The former Costco building is set to begin patient care on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and community members will have a rare chance to explore the facility beforehand. Public tours will run on Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with departures every half hour.
What Visitors Will See
During the tour, guests will be able to view select areas that will support a broad range of health services. Key spaces include the registration area and several clinic environments designed to streamline patient flow and collaboration among care teams. The hub is designed to centralize ambulatory services to improve access, reduce wait times, and support a patient-centered experience.
Clinics and services transitioning to the new hub as of Tuesday morning include general medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, and a total joint assessment clinic with the bariatric optimization clinic. The facility will also house specialty clinics such as eye, plastic surgery outpatient, endocrine, thrombosis and adult outpatient anticoagulation management services. Diagnostic and imaging services will be represented by cardiac diagnostics (electrocardiograms and echocardiograms, including all walk-in ECGs) and medical imaging (X-ray). Orthopedics and audiology will also be featured in the new space.
Why This Move Matters for Patients
The consolidation of these clinics into a single ambulatory hub is designed to improve access to a wide range of services in one convenient location. For patients, this can mean fewer trips to multiple buildings and a more integrated care experience. For clinicians, the hub supports collaborative care models, better scheduling efficiency, and streamlined pathways from intake to treatment. NL Health Services emphasizes patient safety, comfort, and clear wayfinding, which are especially important in a busy public health environment.
Event Details: How to Participate
Public participation is open to community members, caregivers, and anyone with an interest in the new hub’s layout and operations. Visitors are advised to enter through the main entrance to access the tour routes. NL Health Services staff will lead the tours and will be available to answer questions about the hub’s design, the transition of clinics, and what patients can expect once services move fully into the space on October 21, 2025.
Media Access
Note to media: This public event is primarily intended for community members. NL Health Services will offer a dedicated media tour from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 19, 2025, before the public sessions begin. Please coordinate with NL Health Services in advance to secure access.
Getting Ready for Your Visit
Plan to arrive during your chosen tour window, and allow extra time for parking and security check-in. Wearing comfortable clothing will help as tours may include walking through several clinic spaces and corridors. The new ambulatory health hub represents a significant upgrade in how NL Health Services delivers outpatient care, and the open house format is an important step in engaging with the community as the hub opens to patient care later in October.
What This Means for the St. John’s Health Landscape
As Newfoundland and Labrador’s health system continues to evolve, the Unity Health Centre ambulatory hub stands as a model for integrated outpatient services. By co-locating diverse clinics—ranging from general medicine to orthopedics and audiology—the hub supports timely diagnoses, coordinated care plans, and more consistent patient experiences. The community’s response to the tours will help shape care pathways and inform future improvements in service delivery across the region.
